


The Queen's Mercy

by JYN044



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Homeless, F/F, F/M, Queen Elsa (Disney), Rags to Riches, Thief Anna (Disney)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-01 22:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 96
Words: 412,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10931622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JYN044/pseuds/JYN044
Summary: Anna hadn't realized that she was sneaking into the Ice Queen's bedroom. But after the orphaned thief receives the monarch's judgment, she soon realizes that her mistake has changed her life forever. And as her fate becomes entwined with Elsa's, Anna finds herself standing in the way of an enigmatic conspiracy that will not rest until the Queen has fallen. Elsanna.





	1. Chapter 1

Elsa had known that this journey was a horrible idea.

"Your Majesty, we cannot continue! The men will freeze if we do not find shelter!" Corporal Vale shouted over the storm.

The Queen sighed. She knew he was right. While the monarch herself was immune to the cold, her soldiers were not so lucky. Her magic was holding back the worst of the blizzard; a ten meter diameter of calm surrounded the group of five horses she and her men rode on through the night. But the ground was slick with slow and ice, slowing their progress to a crawl, and Elsa's powers could not raise the temperature itself. They'd been riding for hours, and even the heavy winter gear her guards wore could only protect them for so long.

"There's a small town nearby, is there not?" she suggested, remembering the maps they'd reviewed earlier. "Hopefully it contains an inn where we can spend the night. If not, we will simply make ourselves known to a household and compensate them for providing us shelter. Lead on, Corporal," she ordered.

The man nodded gratefully, and with that the Queen knew she had made the correct decision. Elsa disliked remaining away from the capital for extended periods; the castle and the royal city were her responsibility to protect, after all, but returning one night sooner was not worth several loyal men developing severe cases of frostbite.

Vale relayed the order to his men, and the group altered its course accordingly.

Again, Elsa mentally berated herself for allowing this predicament to occur. If she had just listened to her advisors, she and her men would be comfortably lodged in Castle Arendelle. Instead they were trekking through the largest winter storm of the year, and their best case scenario for the night were rooms in the local pub.

The Duke of Hammerfest's letter had been urgent, imploring the Queen to meet with him immediately. The details were said to be too vital to put into writing, but the man had insisted that it was a matter of national security. Her advisors had suggested waiting a few days; all signs hinted that a large winter storm was on the horizon, and the Duke was known for his drastic overreactions to matters that often turned out to be trivial.

But no, against her better judgment, the Queen had insisted to traveling to Arendelle's largest port city without delay, accompanied by a small retinue of Royal Guards. There was always the chance that the Duke wasn't exaggerating, and Elsa always preferred to be safe rather than sorry. As for the storm, there was nothing to fear; her powers would protect both herself and her escorts.

The excitable thirty-year old Duke had been immensely relieved to see the Queen, and had described in detail a nefarious plot from the nation of Weselton to bankrupt their glorious kingdom...by moderately increasing its tariff on imports. After resisting the urge to freeze the Duke to the wall, Elsa had assured the man that Arendelle's exports of ice and silver would remain profitable, and even if that was not the case, there remained a plethora of nations eager for their kingdom's business.

Despite the onset of snowfall, the Queen ordered her men to move out in the late afternoon. Two hours into their journey, the blizzard struck as scheduled. Elsa's powers, as it turned out, were far more effective at creating storms than negating them.

Hopelessly behind schedule, and with darkness upon them, even Elsa had to give in.

To her relief, the town in question did have an inn, as they discovered upon their arrival fifteen minutes later. Vale entered first, in order to explain the situation to the innkeeper, pay him for several rooms, and insist that he not reveal the Queen's presence. That settled, her men surrounded her and ushered the Queen through the bar and up the stairs, careful to conceal her as best they could from the inn's few awake patrons.

She took for herself the room closest to the top floor. Her men protested; it was the only room without a fireplace and had only a candle to light it, but the Queen had shut them down. She had no need of heat. While they had worn heavy fur coats, Elsa herself had been out in the blizzard wearing nothing but her dress. Which was made of ice. Better for those who needed actually needed a fire to have one, especially as it was her own fault that they were all in this mess.

Plus, remaining on the top floor made her more defensible. The men could take turns with a watch on the hallway below, the top floor's only entrance or exit point. To this, they finally acquiesced, leaving her alone in the room.

Elsa glanced out the window, watching through the thin glass as snow continued to fall. It may have been responsible for their current situation, but she couldn't help but find the weather beautiful. She was the Ice Queen of Arendelle, after all.

She was tempted to swing the two sides of the window in and leave it open through the night, such was her love of snow, but Elsa soon thought better of it. It wouldn't be right to make the inn colder for everyone else.

Reluctantly, the Queen turned away from the window and walked to the other side of the room. There was no point in removing her dress; it was comfortable (to her) and she could reform it in the morning if need be. She did, however, empty her pockets, placing the small bag of gold she carried and the map they'd been using onto the table. Blowing out the candle, Elsa climbed into the single bed adjacent to the table, gladly sinking her head into the pillow.

Perhaps the situation wasn't so bad after all. The bed was serviceable, her men would be warm, and they could all get some much needed rest. Most importantly, they were safe. Her guards were skilled, and with a determined watch on the hallway below no would-be assassin would have a chance to get close to the Queen. Besides, the only one who knew of her presence was the innkeeper, and it was certainly in his best interests to agree to Vale's demands and say nothing of the Queen.

By tomorrow night, she would be back in her silk sheets at the castle, and this trip would be nothing more than a bad memory.

For the next hour she laid awake in bed, mulling over the multitude of issues that her kingdom had to contend with. At the age of twenty-three, Elsa was the youngest reigning monarch in the world, forced into power after her parents' untimely deaths at sea five years ago. Many had viewed her with skepticism, especially considering her powers, but the first years of her rule had been prosperous and peaceful. The kingdom's welfare was the sole focus of her existence now, and she was determined to honor her family's legacy.

She thought back to the Duke's information. Weselton increasing its tariff was a concern. By no means was it an emergency, but it did raise the question of whether to continue to trade with Arendelle's much smaller neighbor. Weasel-town, as many justifiably referred to it, was obsessed with profit, never failing to try and take advantage of its trading partners given the slightest opportunity. Though its proximity to Arendelle meant that the cost of shipping goods was cheaper than doing so to a country such as Corona, it may be time to sacrifice this in favor of finding a more stable agree-

Creak.

Elsa's eyes opened with a flash. What had that been? She waited a moment...nothing. The Queen had just convinced herself that her mind was only acting up after a difficult day when she noticed one side of her window opening out of the corner of her vision. Elsa's heartbeat skyrocketed as both pieces of the window now swung smoothly into the room, not making a sound.

A small figure climbed through the opening, clad in a dark cloak. How he had gotten up this far, the Queen had no idea, but the question was irrelevant at his point. It was every child's nightmare scenario, an intruder in their room. Elsa felt like a little girl again, her face beginning to drip with sweat (something that didn't happen often.) As the figure silently lowered itself into the room's floorboards, she felt an urge to call to her parents. But they'd never be answering her again.

The intruder crept across the room; Elsa remained motionless, not wanting to give her consciousness away until she gathered her thoughts. Instead of rushing to the bed, dagger in hand, to kill the Queen in her sleep, the figure instead surveyed the room carefully, as if searching for something.

He's a thief, Elsa thought. Not an assassin. Otherwise he'd have tried to kill me already.

The figure made his way over to the bedside table. Elsa was amazed that her rapidly beating heart didn't give her away, but the intruder took no notice of her. He slipped two lithe fingers into her bag, withdrawing three gold coins. Slipping them into his pocket, the figure turned back towards the window.

Dozens of gold coins and that's all he pilfers? What the hell is going on here?!

Elsa was done cowering.

The thief was halfway to the window when Elsa suddenly sat up. "Stop!"

At the sound of her voice, the figure gave a jump of surprise, nearly tripping over his own feet as he turned around to face her.

"What are you doing in my room?!" the Queen demanded.

The thief slumped- was that a sigh? And as Elsa's eyes began to adjust to the darkness, the Queen finally got a glimpse of the intruder's face.

"Trying not to go hungry," she replied.

It was a woman. A very young woman. Elsa's eyes still couldn't make most of the thief out, but by the voice alone she knew. How had a girl this young climbed three stories up in the middle of a blizzard?

"Have you ever considered honest work?" the Queen replied tartly, pushing her surprise to the side. She'd have her answers soon enough.

"As if anyone would be willing to hire me in the middle of winter," the girl retorted. "I hate doing this, but I have no choice. You're obviously a noblewoman of some kind, three coins will mean little to you."

Elsa eyes suddenly adjusted enough to perceive that the thief was wearing a belt around her cloak. And on that belt rested a six inch dagger. The Queen's eyes widened.

"Don't worry," the girl assured her. Was it just Elsa, or did her voice sound...guilty? "I'm not going to hurt you, this is just for my own protection."

That did make sense. It wasn't wise for young men to wander around Arendelle's more rural towns alone in the middle of the night, even during a blizzard. And if this girl had wanted to harm her, she would have attempted it minutes ago.

"Goodbye, milady," the thief said. She turned again to the window and began to walk towards it.

The Queen finally found her voice. "You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here?" Elsa demanded.

Surprised, the girl rounded to face her again. "I'm not going to harm an innocent woman. But there's nothing you can do to stop me; you'd never have a hope of catching me, so save us both the effort and don't even try."

"Is that so?" With a lazy flick of Elsa's hand, a wall of ice materialized two feet behind the girl and rose to the ceiling, stopping just before hitting the wood. The thief barely had time to gasp before two icy chains sprouted out of the wall and lashed themselves to both of her hands.

"Those are unbreakable," Elsa said as the utterly shocked girl tugged desperately at the restraints. "You can't get free. So save us both the effort and don't even try."

Standing up from the bed, the Queen extended her hand. A brightly glowing snowflake came into existence above her palm, illuminating the room. Now, Elsa could see that the thief clearly. She looked to be a few inches shorter than the Queen, and slightly younger than the monarch. The girl was a redhead, with two braids of copper hair flowing down in front of her shoulders. Bright blue eyes sat atop a face dotted with tiny freckles.

With that, all of the pieces fell into place.

Over the past two years, stories circulated the upper echelons of Arendelle's nobility of a mysterious thief who appeared to have the ability to climb any surface. Several Dukes, nobles, and even a visiting prince on his way to the castle had claimed to have their valuables stolen by a young woman with red hair.

Although she could somehow climb up any wall, this woman was apparently lacking in the stealth department, and many guards had reported sightings of her as she fled. Stranger still, this thief only took paltry sums from her victims, never stealing anything too expensive. Some had theorized that she was merely in it for the thrill of the challenge, while others wondered if it was part of some wider conspiracy.

Elsa had heard of the rumors, of course, but had never given them full credibility. The stories seemed too unbelievable, and she didn't put it past the nobility to make up or exaggerate a tale for the purpose of creating more riveting dinner conversation. She'd consented to have wanted posters made of the woman (based on the descriptions of those who had seen her), accompanied by a relatively high bounty, but had paid the matter no further heed.

Until now.

The face on the posters bore a passing resemblance to the girl in front of her, but no more. And unlike the image on the posters, the girl was now white with shock. Her eyes were wide with abject horror.

There was only one person in the kingdom with such power over ice and snow.

"You-you're the Queen. I-but..."

"Yes." Elsa nodded. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. And you just tried to rob me."

The girl fell to her knees, arms still held up by the chains. "Please...Your Majesty...I-I didn't..."

Elsa tried to be angry. This woman had just broken into her room and nearly frightened her half to death. But she seemed like the furthest thing from a cutthroat thief, despite the dagger she wore.

"What you did or did not know is irrelevant," Elsa replied, her voice betraying none of her surprise. "I know who you are. But even without accounting for your past actions...you just broke into the room of Arendelle's monarch and attempted to steal her possessions. That alone is grounds for execution."

The girl paled even further, but for once said nothing.

"But I am not without mercy. Perhaps given your circumstances, I can be lenient," Elsa noted.

"Your Majesty, I-"

Elsa held up a hand, and the girl ceased talking. "The kingdom knows of my powers over ice. But my magic can do far more than most know. It gives me the innate ability to sense whether anyone is telling the truth - or lying to me. Given your situation, I would suggest you do the former. If not..."

Her powers were capable of many impressive feats. They could be used to create massive structures of ice, had the ability to generate semi-sentient soldiers made out of pure snow, and could even heal all but the most grievous of injuries. What they could not do was detect lies. But if this girl believed that they could, then she would answer Elsa's questions honestly, and with that information the Queen could decide what to do with her.

The girl nodded vigorously. "Whatever you want to know. I'll tell you the truth, I promise."

"You'd better." Elsa would have smirked if she didn't feel guilty about scaring the young woman. Another flick of her wrist, and the chains holding the girl dissolved, though the wall remained. A small measure of relief appeared on the thief's face as her arms fell to the ground.

"First, what is your name?"

"A-Anna, Your Majesty," the girl answered. Elsa gestured for her to continue.

"Your last name?" the Queen asked.

"Oh! I, uh, don't have one. I've never known my family. Sorry," she apologized, although for what the Queen wasn't sure.

"So where did you grow up? In one of the orphanages?" Elsa asked. Early in their reign, her parents had used some excess funds from the treasury to finance the creation of several homes for children without families. Partially due to an epidemic that had recently passed at the time, the number homeless children had been on the rise. Today, it was known as one of their more successful programs.

"Y-yes, Your Majesty. I was dropped off as a baby. Never heard of my parents since," Anna replied, her voice both bitter and afraid. The girl was terrified, but Elsa didn't need magic powers to know she was telling the truth.

"One more question then. What made you begin to make a life out of robbing nobles? Why only steal so little, and from the most well-guarded of citizens? And how did you do it?" the Queen questioned. A mystery that had plagued many high ranking officials was about to be solved.

Anna looked up at her curiously. "That's more than one question...I-I mean it'll take more than one answer...I-mean-sorry, Your Majesty, I-"

"Yes, yes," Elsa stopped Anna's babbling. "Just tell me the truth," she said, more gently.

"I was always on the wilder side as a child. Probably why I was never adopted," Anna added, her expression somewhat pained. "When I turned sixteen, my time in the orphanage ended. I was expected to go out and support myself, find work and hopefully find a husband, but..."

"But what?" the Queen demanded.

Anna sighed. "It turned out that there wasn't much I was cut out for. Too um-awkward- to work in a tavern, not strong enough for most manual labor, and far too clumsy to be a farm hand. And as for finding a husband...let's just say I haven't had any luck. I've never been good at hunting, gods know I've tried, and during most winters the little amount of work available to me dries up like that," she snapped her fingers.

Elsa pursed her lips thoughtfully. How Anna could not have found a husband, Elsa wasn't sure. Even mostly concealed by her cloak, she could tell that Anna was a very attractive woman. Those blue eyes alone...she should have had no difficulty finding a man among the middle class to wed her.

The Queen mentally scolded herself for getting sidetracked.

"So you're too clumsy to carry things on a farm, but you're also skilled enough to climb up to my room in the middle of a blizzard?" Elsa crossed her arms skeptically.

Anna shrugged sheepishly. "Kinda. The only thing I've ever been good at was climbing. There was a waterfall near where I grew up, and I spent a lot of time climbing the rocks underneath it. Damn near broke my neck a hundred times, but I always managed to fall into the water. It was my favorite thing to do as a kid, and eventually I got really good at it. When I was focused on the rocks, my usually completely uncoordinated hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Of course, I never dreamed it would be so useful..."

"So when you had no money and no work, you would use that skill to climb into nobles' houses and pilfer their belongings," Elsa guessed.

Anna nodded. "I hated - still hate - myself for it, but it was steal, die, or whore myself off. I chose the first option."

Elsa grimaced at her words. Anna seemed to notice, judging by the blush that spread to her cheeks.

"S-sorry, Your Majesty. Anyway, I decided only to take from those who could absolutely afford it. And if I only took enough to survive, I could live with myself. Sure, it was risky, but I wasn't going to rob those who were barely better off than me," she explained. Elsa could sense her defensiveness, as well as the guilt she was failing to cover up.

"How long have you been doing this?" the Queen questioned.

Anna sighed. "A little over two years now. I turned eighteen a few months ago; it wasn't long after I left the orphanage on my sixteenth birthday that I started to…"

"And when you saw me and my men come in here tonight, you assumed I was a noble based on how my guards shepherded me up the stairs. So you waited for an hour, went outside, and climbed up here," Elsa surmised, cutting her off.

Anna's eyes fell to the ground, but she nodded softly. "I was on my way to the capital. I'd been hoping I could find work on a ship, but no one would...so I decided to see if there were jobs available in the royal city. I had to use the rest of my money to rent a room here, it was that or freeze to death outside, but that meant I had nothing left to buy food with. And I was so hungry...I couldn't resist."

"Do you know anyone in the capital?" she asked, wondering if Anna would have somewhere to spend the night.

"No. It's hard to make any good friends when you're moving around as much as I am," she explained.

The Queen's heart filled with pity. There probably wasn't a worse situation in Arendelle than being a young unmarried girl with no connections to speak of. Unemployment generally wasn't a severe problem in the kingdom, but there were many who would be very hesitant to hire one such as Anna. Especially if her only skill to speak of was climbing...

"Is there anything else you can do? Besides climbing, I mean. Something that would enable you to make decent coin?"

Anna sighed. "You don't think I would have thought of that already? I'm desperate enough to risk my life robbing from Dukes and..." her eyes widened as she realized she had just mouthed off to the Queen of Arendelle. The very Queen who now held her life squarely in her hands.

Elsa gave an unconcerned gesture with her hand, beckoning her to continue.

"Sorry, Your Majesty. Well, I have some skill in fighting, I think. There were some wooden swords in the orphanage that I often practiced with; the others always said I was a natural. All I have now is this cheap dagger, but the practice I had as a child has saved my life more than once in the past."

"You've killed?" Elsa sputtered out, her Queenly mask faltering for a moment. She wouldn't blame Anna for acting in self-defense, of course, but Elsa couldn't believe that a girl such as this would be capable of such a thing.

Anna's face went scarlet red. "No, but I have had to wound one or two tough guys who thought I was easy pickings. A small stab in the arm and they crumble. But anyway...I think I could be a skilled fighter if I had a real weapon and someone to teach me. But no one teaches for free, especially not to a young woman who can't sit still. Maybe if I got good enough I could win some coin in tournaments, but it's a pipe dream."

Elsa nodded. Gods, what was she going to do with this girl? The Queen couldn't find it in herself to blame Anna for her choices, if she was telling the truth, that was. Of course, Anna had appeared to completely buy her line about her magic enabling her to detect lies, and she didn't seem to be someone who would be skilled at lying. There was no magic involved, but Elsa was well-practiced in sensing lies; it was virtually a requirement to being Queen. With near certainty, she knew Anna was telling the truth.

But justice would demand that she punish the thief, no matter the circumstances. Perhaps not execution, but certainly imprisonment at the least.

"Very well," the Queen intoned, her mask back in full force. "Before I pass judgment, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Anna's eyes were rooted to the ground. "No," she murmured. "I'm guilty. I'm sorry for what I've done, but I can't say I would take it back," she admitted.

Elsa hesitated. Her parents would certainly have punished the girl in some fashion. Be fair but firm, they had always advised her.

Why did you have to leave me? Why do I have to make all of these decisions alone?

But then...what had Anna done, really? Frightened a few nobles perhaps, but never caused anyone bodily harm. In the tales told of her exploits, the girl had never attacked a single person. Could Elsa afford to be soft?

Perhaps, in this case. There was no one here to see her verdict, and Anna would certainly not be repeating the story if she didn't want to be arrested.

The Queen sighed. With a wave of her hand, the ice wall behind Anna disappeared into nothing. A set of icy steps materialized just outside her window, spiraling towards the ground. Anna stood up in surprise and turned around, viewing the display with wonder.

"Just...go," Elsa murmured.

Anna stared at her in shock. "G-go?" she stuttered.

"Yes. You're free to leave. I excuse you of punishment given your circumstances," the Queen said finally.

Anna continued to stare at her. "You're just going to let me, a criminal in every respect, walk away? Knowing that I'll likely steal again?"

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help but bring a hand up to her mouth to cover a chuckle. "You're really not helping your case, you know," she pointed out. In truth, although it should have mattered to Elsa, it didn't. Her actions did nothing more than give the nobles something to talk about. She was hardly a menace to society.

"Right..." Anna muttered. She reached into her pocket and took out the three coins, placing them on the ground. "Your Majesty, I -thank you." She turned back towards the window.

"Wait!" Elsa ordered. As Anna faced her once again, the Queen reached down and picked up the gold.

"Keep them. Get yourself a room in the royal city. I-good luck Anna," Elsa said. Her face burned red. What the hell was she even thinking? But the Queen placed the coins in the girl's hand.

Anna stared at her in shock. Elsa could tell she felt especially guilty about taking them now, after the Queen had shown her mercy. But hunger eventually won out.

The 'thief' nodded. "I-I will, Your Majesty. Thank you," she repeated, her tone flowing with gratitude. With that Anna went to the window and stepped out onto the top of the snow steps. She surveyed Elsa's creation with wonder.

"You're amazing - I mean you're magical - I mean your magic is amazing," Anna breathed. Elsa nearly gave a start of surprise. Most were frightened at least somewhat by her powers. The kingdom had grown to accept them, her powers over ice and snow did a lot to help bolster Arendelle's valuable ice exports and enhance the country's already strong defenses, but they still made nearly everyone nervous.

Anna didn't seem frightened in the least. The only expression on her face was awe.

"Thank you," the flustered Queen finally replied. Anna looked back once more at her before beginning her descent, sinking out of her view.

And for some reason, Elsa was sad to see her go.

/

As soon as Anna's feet left the bottom step, the staircase behind her disintegrated into the wind. She watched the magic dissipate with a heavy heart, the Queen's power truly was incredible.

She stared down at the coins in her hand, still in complete shock. She had just met the Queen. The gorgeous, stunning Ice Queen of Arendelle. One of the most powerful people in the world, in spite of her young age.

No. The most powerful person in the world, if her magic was as strong as it was rumored to be.

Her face burned with shame. And who was Anna? A peasant of the lowest sort, unfit to even be in Her Majesty's presence. A petty thief forced into crime because she was too clumsy for the simplest of tasks. Yet she'd intruded into the room of the Queen of Arendelle, probably frightened her half to death, and walked away from a crime that should have merited execution. If what the people said was accurate, Elsa was a benevolent monarch just like her father had been, but Anna should not have gotten off so lightly.

Or so heavily, she thought, staring at the weighted coins in her hand. Still, she was relieved. For a moment there, Anna had believed death to be a very real possibility. Now, however, she had a growing suspicion that it had never been.

Anna sighed as she walked back into the inn through the front door. Despite her shame, she had enough coin for room and board for the next week, and that was what mattered.

As Anna entered her room on the first floor, she thought back to her conversation with the Queen. Maybe there was an escape from this life, if she could somehow find someone to teach her real swordplay. She'd faced several men trying to take advantage of her before, and despite being untrained and armed with only a six inch dagger, her skill had proved enough to keep them at bay. If Anna had a real sword and a teacher to go with it...

No. It would never happen. For now, she was stuck in this situation. Anna could probably find a husband if she wanted to, but she hadn't meant any men who interested her. She probably never would.

Why did the Queen let me go? she thought again. Had it been compassion, pity, or had Anna simply not been worth the effort? Given the bounty on her capture, she doubted it was the latter.

Whatever Her Majesty's reasons, Anna was grateful to the extreme.

With difficulty, Anna pushed her thoughts aside and climbed into bed, trying not to think about the woman who resided three floors above her.


	2. Chapter 2

Anna awoke with a groan. The previous night had been exhausting, both mentally and physically, and the young woman doubted that she'd gotten more than five hours of sleep. At least she'd had a good meal last night.

She glanced out her window. Judging by the sun that was just about to rise, Anna guessed that it was roughly around five in the morning.

For a moment, she considered resting for a few more hours. But Anna knew that would be foolish. If she wanted to reach the capital within the next three days, she'd have to start walking early each morning and continue late into the night.

Anna reluctantly climbed out of the bed. Shuffling over the bed table, she pulled on her dark blue cloak, placed the gold coins in her pocket, and reached for her belt. As she put on her final piece of clothing and strapped her dagger to her belt, Anna prayed that she wouldn't need the weapon. There was no reason to think that she'd be attacked on her journey, but given Anna's track record so far, fate clearly did not favor her.

Without a word, she unbolted her door, entered the inn's main room, and walked out into the snow. The blizzard had slowed to a trickle, but the entire world was completely covered in a large white blanket. She sighed.

It was going to be a long day.

/

Elsa and her four guards set out at nine in the morning. Retrieving their horses from the stables, the group finally began its ride home.

The Queen's mind was still fixated on the previous night. Part of her wondered if it had all been a dream. She couldn't believe that a thief had appeared in her room, and even more incredibly, Elsa had let her go. After freely giving her what she had attempted to steal. What had she been thinking? True, Anna had been harmless and driven by desperation, but the law would have demanded a punishment, and it was the Queen's duty to enforce it.

Still, Elsa knew that if the scenario replayed itself, she wouldn't change her decision. She couldn't have brought herself to… Regardless, what was done was done, and the matter would never come up again.

Vale and two other guards rode behind her. Another man rode ahead, scouting for any sign of trouble. Their pace was still slow, but now that the snowfall had slowed, Elsa was capable of pushing much of what laid in their path aside with a thought.

Concentrating on this task an hour into their journey, she barely noticed the man in front of her slowing his horse. Within a moment, he had pulled up beside her. She glanced at him curiously.

"Is there something up ahead?" she questioned. The man said nothing but pointed up the road.

Elsa's eyes followed his fingertips. She discerned nothing but the narrow road ahead and the snow covered forest that surrounded them. What had he-

A clenched fist smashed into her temple, launching her out of the saddle. The Queen barely had time to register the pain that exploded in her head before her leg collided with the ground at a very unfortunate angle. She heard a sickening crack in her limb as her body hit the road. Behind her, the men were shouting…

Both her head and her leg in excruciating pain, Elsa barely felt herself roughly hauled to her feet. A blade was placed under her neck.

At the edge of blacking out, Elsa saw the scene unfold. Two royal guards were fighting atop their horses, sword on sword. Corporal Vale lay in a snowdrift, not moving.

The man who held her, no, the Royal Guard who held her, shouted to the two fighting men. "Dismount and drop your weapon, or I slit her throat!" he threatened.

One of the fighters took a glance at the Queen before holding up his hands. He dismounted immediately, dropping his sword into the snow. The man who he'd been fighting smacked him in the face with his sword hilt, and the guard crumpled to the ground.

Through her concussion induced haze, Elsa realized that two of her men had betrayed her. As the one who now held her had knocked her from the horse, his co-conspirator had knocked Vale unconscious and fought with the last remaining loyal soldier.

"The slightest sign of magic and you're dead, witch," her captor hissed in her ear. He brought his blade to her neck to emphasize the point. It didn't matter. Even if she wasn't under pain of death, given the state of her head, Elsa doubted that she could concentrate enough to make a single snowflake.

"Bind her and gag her. Then we're off to the rendezvous point. The sooner this bitch is out our hands, the better," the traitor told the other man.

A second later, Elsa finally lost her battle with her concussion. The world went black.

Anna continued trudging through the snow. It'd been roughly five hours since leaving the inn, but the girl had made little progress. She'd wandered off the road some time ago, but it made no difference. The entire forest was covered in a foot of snow.

A gust of wind blew through the trees. Anna shivered. Her cloak and underclothes weren't enough to shield her from the cold; what had she been thinking, setting off today? True, perhaps the best place to hopefully find work was the Royal City, but with the coins given by the Queen, she could have waited a day.

The words of the orphanage maids came back to her. She'd been constantly accused of being rash, always making reckless decisions. Anna still winced at the thought of some of the tongue lashings she'd received.

"I guess I never learn," she said to herself.

A shout broke through the forest, perhaps a hundred feet to her right. Without thinking, Anna hurried toward the scream, idly aware that she was heading back towards the road.

As she approached the shouting intensified, and the din of metal on metal filled the air. Almost to the edge of the trees, Anna ran so fast that she tripped over her feet and fell face first into a snowbank.

When she lifted her head, Anna received the shock of her life. Barely ten feet away and only somewhat obscured by the treeline, two Arendelle guards laid unconscious in the snow. A few feet away, another two guards were busy binding an unconscious woman with thick rope, being especially careful in lashing her hands. By her platinum blond hair and the crystal blue dress she wore, Anna recognized her immediately.

Queen Elsa.

How had this happened?! Why were the guards tying her up, and why were the other two out cold?

"Let's go," one man grunted. "Keep that blade to her neck, we've seen what she can do. If she wakes and we're not ready, the bitch will give us a frozen hell to pay."

Anna stood as still as a statue as the two men climbed atop the horses, one man holding the Queen with one arm and his sword with the other, and started down the road.

Much of the path behind them had been cleared of snow, probably thanks to the Queen's powers, but they weren't going to be assisting the men now. The horses moved along at a walking pace.

As soon as the two men were around the next bend, Anna dashed out onto the ground. She pulled the two guards out of the snow as best she could. They were still alive, but there was a chance they'd freeze to death if they remained buried in the white powder.

Anna spent the next minute desperately trying to rouse them. Their Queen had been taken - they had to save her! But neither violently shaking them nor slapping them in the face had the slightest effect.

Damn it! Every moment, the kidnappers slipped further away. Their trail would be easy to follow through the snow, but any pursuit over long distance through this weather would be incredibly difficult. And if the men met up with reinforcements...

Anna was about to make another rash decision.

/

Why am I doing this? Anna asked herself once again as she hobbled through the snow.

She'd veered off the road again, following the easily visible path through the snow left by the Queen's captors. Even from within the trees, she could see where they had gone. Within twenty minutes, she'd caught up with them. The snow was so deep that the horses could do nothing but walk; running through the forest was far less comfortable than sitting on a horse, but in this weather it was certainly faster.

Once Anna was almost parallel to the men, she moved deeper into the treeline, careful not to give herself away. She followed them for the next hour, desperately trying to think up a plan.

Anna still didn't know what was driving her to do this. Maybe she felt that she owed it to the Queen, given the mercy she'd received the previous night. Perhaps it was out of duty to her country; she might have had to resort to stealing, but Anna was still a loyal citizen of Arendelle. The nation's coffers had supported her throughout her childhood; the years she'd spent in the orphanage weren't always great, but it had sure been better than living on the streets.

Or maybe that wasn't it. Maybe Anna just couldn't bear to stand by and watch as an innocent woman was hauled off to gods know what fate.

Whatever her reasons, Anna was determined to try and rescue the Queen. The only question was how.

They were nearing a crossroads. Anna looked at the road ahead...and her heart filled with dread. There was another man waiting there, astride a large black battlehorse. He wore a heavy coat of black leather, and a wicked looking sword was clutched in his right hand.

The Queen's captors did not appear surprised to see him. A quick discussion between the three men followed, though Anna could not hear a word.

What the hell was she going to do now? Even with the element of surprise, attacking two Royal Guards with only her dagger would have been nearly suicidal. Now she had three warriors to deal with.

They veered right at the crossroads, taking the road that would lead them back towards Hammerfest. There, Anna reckoned that the Queen would be taken aboard a ship and hauled away, never to see the shores of Arendelle again.

What could Anna hope to accomplish? As she'd told the Queen last night, she'd only ever been good at one thing in her life, and climbing couldn't help her now.

Or could it? An idea suddenly struck her. She knew where the men were headed. If she could get ahead of them, and climb a tree at the edge of the road...

Two hours later, Anna was perched on a branch directly above the path that led to Hammerfest, lying face down on the wood. She'd passed her targets twenty minutes ago, making sure to stay deep within the treeline and out of their line of sight. Once she'd judged that there was enough distance between them, she'd hauled herself up a large but relatively low lying tree, and waited.

With any luck, the snow that completely covered the branches would conceal her from view, despite the blue cloak she wore. Once they passed beneath her, Anna would plunge several feet downward through the leaves, land on one of the guards, and slit his throat. After that, she would throw her knife into the second man, grab one of the swords from their belts, and challenge the third rider.

Even by her standards, it was stupid. There was every chance that her attempt to assassinate the first man would end with her missing and breaking her leg, and even if she managed to throw her knife into the other's chest (which was possible, thanks to her many years of practice at throwing a knife at the wall,) she'd still be up against a trained warrior with nothing but an unfamiliar sword.

Despite the hardships she faced, Anna still cherished her life. But she was willing to risk it for the Queen.

She still wasn't quite sure why.

The sound of hoofbeats altered her that her prey was close. Anna could just barely perceive the three men through the trees, steadily approaching her position.

The black coated man now held Elsa, riding in front of his companions. Anna would have liked to strike at him first, but there was every chance that if she did, her blade would miss and hit the Queen instead. Instead, she would wait for the final guard to pass underneath before she made her move. At least that way, all of her enemies would be on one side of her.

She gripped her dagger with trembling hands. Was she really ready to do this? Not only was she probably throwing her life away, but even if her plan succeeded, Anna was going to become a killer. The men below were probably far from innocent, but the thought of having blood on her hands still made her feel sick.

But the alternative was to abandon Queen Elsa. And Anna couldn't bring herself to do it.

Her heart rate nearly tripled when she saw the black coated man through the snow covered leaves, now only feet away.

"I told you I wanted the Queen alive, not her guards. If they wake up..." the leader was saying as he passed beneath her.

"We were ordered to turn on the ice witch and deliver her to you. The two men didn't need to die, and even if they wake up, we'll be on a ship hours before they reach Hammerfest," the guard in front replied as he moved below her.

This was it. Anna steadied her hands and took a deep breath. The final guard was a second away.

Anna stood up slightly, contracted her legs, and leapt off the branch.

She plunged through the leaves and landed on the guard. Her feet connected with his chest and knocked him off his horse. The man fell to the ground, Anna right on top of him. Pain spread through her legs, but she remained on her feet. She threw her emotions to the side and plunged her dagger down into his throat.

His companion wheeled his horse around. Anna knew he was still caught off guard, but his surprise would soon fade. Taking her chance, she extracted her now blood-covered dagger from her first victim's throat and tossed it perfectly. The point never wavered from its target, flying smoothly through the man's uniform and landing in the center of his neck.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

Below her, the first guard sputtered hopelessly, his body nearly still. Adrenaline helped Anna ignore her guilt as extracted the sword from his belt.

By now, the lead man had dismounted. He stood ten feet away, facing her with a look of contempt. With one arm, he hoisted the Queen, and with the other, held his sword to her throat.

"Those two men aggravated me. So I'll give you this one chance," he snarled. "Turn around and walk away."

"Never," Anna shot back, sounding braver than she felt. "Let the Queen go!" She raised her sword.

"I don't think so. Take one more step and I'll kill her," he threatened, his blade resting an inch from the Queen's neck.

Anna shook her head. "You need her alive," she realized. "Otherwise she'd be dead already, considering the risk of her using her powers. You can't kill her."

The man's face contorted with anger. He roughly tossed the unconscious Queen into the snow.

"No. I can't," he agreed with a sneer. "But it won't be long until she's as good as dead. And as for you," he advanced upon her, sword raised.

She met his first strike with a parry that rattled her arms. Shit, he's strong.

He came upon her with a cautious assault, driving her back down the road. Anna fought with pure instinct. She'd never held a true sword in her hands, but somehow she managed to survive for more than three seconds.

Anna blocked a succession of attacks, the movements feeling natural to her. With a quick thrust, the man penetrated her guard, but her reflexes saved her. She sidestepped, avoiding the blade by an inch, and struck back with a slash to his neck.

Surprise shown in his eyes, but her opponent ducked under the blow. Anna wildly drew back her blade and deflected his strike at her legs. She moved to counterattack, but the man was done with caution.

He slammed her attack aside and renewed his offensive, driving her further back with each passing second. It was all she could do to parry his offensive frenzy and narrowly dodge the blows her sword did not redirect.

The man feinted towards her head. Anna's weapon followed the movement, but then his blade switched directions and sped towards her right leg. She brought down her blade to intercept his strike, but the awkward parry only managed to slow his movement.

The edge of his blade pierced her right thigh. As pain flared up in her leg, Anna jumped back desperately, extracting her flesh from his sword. She fell to the ground.

Her opponent leapt after her. With a powerful flick of his wrist, her sword was wrenched out her weak grip. Anna stared up at him, tears forming in her eyes, as he raised his sword again. Her plan had failed; Anna's life was over. He plunged his weapon down toward her stomach...

BANG! An explosion of white flashed behind him. A millisecond before the metal would have made contact with her skin, a blast of ice struck her enemy from behind, piercing his skin and launching him through the air. His sword tumbled to the ground an inch next to her.

His body landed on the ground ten feet away, a hole the size of a fist in his stomach.

Anna turned to look upon her savior. The Queen was still slumped in the snow, but her face was alight with fury. A cyclone of wind and ice encircled her, responding to her anger. Scattered across the ground were the remains of the rope that had held her, now embedded with countless shards of ice.

"Your Majesty, he's - aaaah!" Anna cried as the pain in her leg redoubled.

For the first time, the Queen seemed to notice her. "A-Anna?" she breathed. The cyclone dissipated.

Anna tried to answer her, but the pain was too strong. She laid onto the ground and closed her eyes, trying to block out the agony.

After ten seconds of torment, Anna felt a cool hand upon her wound. She opened her eyes to see the Queen kneeling over her, her face one of determination.

"What-" Anna finally managed to say.

"Hang on," the Queen said. Suddenly, Anna's leg was filled with the most wondrous sensation. The pain was swept away instantly, replaced by a comforting cold that seemed to enter her wound and spread throughout her leg.

And then it was over. The Queen retracted her hand. Anna sat up and stared at her leg in shock. What had surely been an inch deep gash had replaced by a thin blue scar.

"You-your magic?" Anna finally sputtered. The Queen nodded. Her hand was now placed on her own leg, and was a deep blue glow emanated from it. The light appeared to sink into the Queen's bones.

"It takes some energy, but it can heal almost any injury. My leg broke during the attack," she explained. Her eyes swept across the road, and she finally seemed to notice the bloodstained bodies of the two Royal Guards.

"Anna, did you - kill them?" she asked, clearly surprised.

The thief nodded guiltily.

"I woke up to see someone fighting that last one," the Queen replied, "But I can't believe..."

Suddenly, the Queen's eyes rolled to the back of her head. The woman doubled over, clutching her head. "Concussion - overuse of magic," she breathed as she slumped forward. Anna caught the monarch just before she hit the ground. One look at her face, and Anna knew the Queen was out cold.

The girl made to rise, but the pain in her leg flared up in protest. Evidently, the magic hadn't completely healed her just yet. Pushing through the pain, Anna stumbled towards the black horse, the only mount that hadn't yet bolted. Clearly, he was made of sturdier stuff than the average Arendelle horse.

It took ten minutes, but Anna finally managed to situate both herself and the Queen atop the battlehorse. One hand steadying the Queen's unconscious form, Anna steered the beast back in the direction they had come.

The next hour was a desperate struggle to keep both of them atop the horse, but Anna managed to avoid dropping the Queen into the snow for over sixty minutes. Eventually, however, the bitter cold and her leg injury made the task impossible. Halfway back to the crossroads, the Queen slipped out of her grip, and Anna fell to the ground after her. The black horse continued on without them.

"Wait!" Anna called desperately, but their mount wandered off into the forest, leaving them alone in the snow. And Anna's body refused to rise again.

As darkness began to fall, Anna shivered under her cloak. It wouldn't be long before the cold began to kill her.

Thankfully, it appeared that Queen Elsa was in no such danger herself. Closer examination of the Queen's thin dress had led Anna to quickly realize that the garment was made of pure ice. This allowed Anna to make the brilliant deduction that the Ice Queen probably did not have to worry about frostbite. Even if she died, her sacrifice might allow the Queen to live.

Looking at her once again, Anna could see why the Queen wore that dress, it matched her blue eyes perfectly. And even though the Queen's braid had been hopelessly messed up throughout the day, Anna could imagine how magnificent she would look in her fully regal glory.

Anna shuddered. The cold was definitely making her delirious.

Her staring at the Queen's face was interrupted by a shout ahead of her. Within a minute, Anna recognized the two unconscious guards from earlier, riding towards them as fast as their horses would allow.

"Thank the gods," Anna muttered. Relief flooded through her.

The lead man stopped his horse five meters away from her. Anna's heart froze. In his hands was a crossbow, its bolt pointed at her forehead.

"No sudden moves. Back away from the Queen. Now."

Anna did so immediately, holding up her hands. She could explain the situation when the guards had the Queen and a crossbow wasn't a click away from killing her.

The other guard dismounted and hurried to the Queen, taking her into his arms. "She's alive," he said with evident relief. "And she doesn't appear to be seriously injured."

The leader nodded, but his crossbow didn't stray from Anna's face.

"I didn't kidnap the Queen. I killed the one who took her," she explained, holding up her hands.

The man shook his head. "A likely story. But I find it difficult to imagine that a young unarmed girl overpowered two fully armed and trained Royal Guards. So here's my theory: you paid them to deliver her to you, and sent them on their way. Either you lost your horse, or you were foolish enough to meet up with the kidnappers without one and became stranded out here. Who you're working for is anyone's guess, but you'll tell us soon enough."

"No! I didn't-"

"Enough. Tie her up. We'll take this swine back to the castle. Once the Queen wakes up, she'll be tried and get a lifetime sentence if she's lucky. And if the Queen doesn't awaken..."

The other man moved towards her, rope in his hands... Anna didn't resist when he grabbed her arms and began to bind her with rope, but she again protested.

"I'm telling you, I-"

"And gag her," their leader ordered.

/

Six hours of riding and ten minutes of walking later, Anna was given her own personal suite within the dungeons of Castle Arendelle. The two guards had quickly explained the situation to their fellows stationed within the castle; the Queen had been hurriedly taken to receive medical attention, while Anna had been roughly shoved into a cell and left to rot.

She shivered. It was nearly as cold in here as it was out in the snow! Beyond the bars of her cell, all Anna could perceive was blackness, though she distinctly heard a rat scurry across the floor more than once.

With little to do but await the morning, Anna slumped against her cell's wall and passed into a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Elsa noticed was the pain in her forehead. Her return to consciousness immediately made her aware of the aftereffects of her concussion; her head throbbed so painfully that the Queen's hand was pressed against her temple within seconds of waking. She sighed as her magic to begin to soothe the pain.

As the aching began to subside, the monarch finally opened her eyes. She was back in her room in Castle Arendelle, lying within her bed's silken sheets. Her memory was fuzzy; what had happened yesterday?  
"Your Majesty!" said a voice to her right. Elsa turned to see the royal physician sitting in one of the room's plush chairs. "I was worried that you would never awake! Are you alright?" he asked urgently.

The Queen nodded. "Yes, Anton. Thank you. My magic can handle the pain now," she assured him.

His eyes were drawn to the blue glow emanating from her hand, still spreading magic into her forehead. "Your, ah...abilities make my job twice as easy, Your Majesty. I'm not quite sure what you're still paying me for."

Elsa smiled slightly. As the healing facet of her magic had developed, she'd often visited the Castle Infirmary. Except for those with the worst of injuries, these days no one remained a patient in there for long. Those in the Royal City who sustained severe injuries were often taken to the Castle Infirmary as well, to benefit from her magic.

Many still feared her powers, but given the choice between experiencing them or continuing to wallow in agony, they usually picked the former. It was often taxing work, but her duty was to protect her people, and she had to do all she could for them. And it was certainly emotionally rewarding, at times.

The Queen still struggled to remember the events of the previous day. Something unusual had happened, but exactly what, she couldn't quite recall. She'd gone to meet the Duke of Hammerfest, and then…a wall of haze shrouded her memory.

"How long was I unconscious?" she questioned.

"You were returned here by your guards two moons ago. The next day passed without any sign of waking. It is currently around noon, on your second day back, so it has been around thirty-six hours since your return, Your Majesty."

Thirty-six hours! What the hell had…?

"Shall I alert the staff to your revival? I daresay many will be very relieved," Anton offered.

"Yes, please do. Also, tell Kai to come see me at the earliest opportunity," she ordered.

"Of course, Your Majesty." He bowed and exited the room.

The Queen continued to pour magic into her skull. The pain was nearly gone. Just a little bit more-

As the last of the aching disappeared, the Queen's memories returned in a rush. Her godforsaken meeting with the Duke. Her encounter with Anna, the ambush and betrayal that occurred on the journey back.

And her rescue. She'd been shifting between awareness and unconsciousness, held at blade point by the lead rider. Any use of magic would have resulted in her death. Suddenly, two agonized screams sounded behind them, one after the other, and her captor had wheeled his horse around to see his two accomplices dying in the snow.

A lone figure stood over the corpses, Elsa's vision had been two blurry to make her out. Her captor offered the attacker a chance to leave unharmed. She'd refused. He tried threatening the Queen's life, but the figure hadn't been fooled. Elsa had been wanted alive.

The Queen had been shoved into the snow. Her captor had begun to fight with the figure, driving her back. The contact with the cold served to wake her up somewhat; Elsa had perceived the unknown figure, though clearly untrained, hold her own against the man, nearly killing him at one point. But his experience eventually overcame her natural reflexes; the figure had been cut in the leg and was a second away from death.

Desperation had fueled Elsa. Her mind finally focused enough to use magic. A blast of ice exploded from her hands, immediately shattering the rope. A second blast of magic had been launched at the guard, punching a hole through his chest and launching him down the road an instant before he could finish the figure off.

Gods! Did I really kill someone? Visualizing the memory, the Queen knew she had. And strangely, she didn't regret it. If she hadn't, Anna would be dead, and Elsa would have never seen her country again.

Anna. Elsa remembered her shock that the woman who had tried to rob her a night before had now come to her rescue. She'd healed the girl before doing the same to herself, and then...

She must have blacked out. Her magic didn't usually drain too much of her energy, but Elsa had been exhausted already, in addition to coping with a nasty concussion. The combination had knocked her unconscious. Somehow she had ended up back in her castle, but what about...

Her thoughts were interrupted as Kai entered through her bedroom door, a beaming smile on his face. "Your Majesty! We were all so worried. Thank the gods you're alright!"

Elsa managed a brief smile. Since her parents had died, the Queen hadn't been too close to anyone, but Kai and his wife Gerda were two of the only people in Arendelle that she truly liked and trusted. The head servants had been of invaluable assistance since her mother and father had perished that fateful night, and the Queen valued their services immensely.

"Thank you, Kai. I'm feeling much better. But the woman I was with the other night, do you know what became of her?" she questioned urgently.

His smile turned to a frown, and he nodded grimly. "The scoundrel who abducted you has been duly imprisoned, and awaits your royal judgment from a secure cell in the castle dungeons."

"What?!" Elsa demanded in a rare outburst. "This woman, she has strawberry blond hair, looks to be about eighteen, correct?"

Kai looked at her curiously. "Yes, Your Majesty," he confirmed.

Elsa looked up at him with mounting horror. "Kai, that woman risked her life to rescue me. She had nothing to do with the kidnapping attempt."

The servant's expression morphed into one of shock. "She said something to that effect," he revealed, his mouth agape. "But no one took her seriously. They found you with her, alone. No one believed that she could have killed two Royal Guards. It was assumed that they had delivered you into her custody, probably for a hefty sum."

Elsa slapped her palm to her forehead. Gods, the story they'd come up with was almost as ridiculous as the truthful one Anna had probably told. And now her rescuer was being rewarded with a stay in the Castle dudgeons. If something had happened to her…

"Tell the head jailer to meet me in my study within ten minutes, Kai," Elsa demanded. "I don't give a damn what he's doing."

Kai nodded, bowed, and left the room.

/

Being a prisoner had not been a pleasant experience. Throughout her entire day in the dungeons, Anna tried to explain what had really happened to the guards. They'd laughed at her. When her measured explanations eventually turned into continuous shouts, they'd entered her cell and re-gagged her. After Anna had resorted to kicking the bars in frustration, they'd brought in some shackles and chained her to the cell wall.

Anna didn't get a wink of sleep the second night. Arms and legs bound, it was impossible to get off her feet, let alone lie down. And as the hours went on, her fears grew. The Queen evidently hadn't awoken yet. If she never did...well, the guards had given her no illusions about what her fate would be. Not only would Anna's sacrifice come to nothing, but she wouldn't even survive the experience.

She was still haunted by the actions she had taken while saving the Queen. Anna had killed two men! Two men who had betrayed their Queen and country, wouldn't have bated an eyelash while lopping Anna's head off, and were about to ship an innocent woman off to a fate worse than death, but still. The memory made her feel queasy.

How long had she been here now? The guards had changed shifts once again, so it must have been around noon on her second day. Thirty-six hours in this cell. Who the hell knows how many more to go.

She heard a commotion at the end of the hall. A middle-aged, severe looking man entered the room, flanked by two Royal Guards. Keys in hand and a scowl on his face, he walked up to her cell.

Anna watched in fear as he opened the door. What was going to happen to her now? Had the Queen passed away? Was she about to be executed?

He centered the cell, moving to untie her from her shackles. Anna watched in both fear and excitement. At the very least, she wouldn't be spending another night tied up like a fish.

Relief spread to her arms and legs in turn as they were freed from their chains. As Anna stood rubbing her wrists, the man brought his hands around her head and removed her gag.

"The Queen wants to see you," he finally said, displeasure plain in his voice.

She's alive. Anna's heart melted with relief until she fully registered his words. Hopefully, this meant that the Queen retained her memories and had confirmed her innocence, but why she wanted to speak with her, Anna had no idea.

"Wha-why?" Anna finally asked.

"Doesn't matter," the man grunted. These men- he indicated the two Royal Guards -will escort you towards her study. Try to run and you will regret it.

/

Anna's dread only grew as they approached the doors to what must be the Queen's study. How could she meet the Queen like this? Unkempt and filthy from the nights in the dungeons.

How could she speak with the Queen anyway? She was a girl too poor to own a second set of clothes, and barely sophisticated enough to converse with shopkeepers. This was the Queen of Arendelle. In her own Castle.

Anna wanted to faint.

"Are you sure she wants to meet with me?" she beseeched the guards. "Maybe she meant someone else, or maybe she just wanted-"

"Enough," one of them grunted. They stopped at the door, and he knocked.

"Enter," said an authoritative voice. Queen Elsa. The thief's heart began to pound.

He pushed open the door. The room was spacious but not overly large. The floor was covered in a soft blue carpet, and the walls were covered with large wooden shelves filled with books and other royal-ish things. Two red leather armchairs stood near the center of the room, facing a large wooden desk draped in white cloth and covered with an assortment of books and letters. On the other side of the desk, a large blue armchair faced the door.

There sat Queen Elsa, her royal tiara now resting atop her head. The Queen was adorned in a new crystal dress of icy blue, which sparkled in the sunlight shining from the large window behind her and brought out the color in her icy blue eyes. The monarch's platinum blond hair was fixed up in a single, neat French braid draped over her left shoulder, leaving her flawless skin fully visible.

Anna's jaw nearly scraped the floor.

"We've brought the prisoner as you requested, Your Majesty," one of the guards said.

The Queen glared at him. "This woman is a guest," she said calmly but firmly. "Now please, leave us. Return to your posts."

The guards shifted uneasily but obeyed, dipping their heads to the Queen and exiting the study. The door shut behind them, leaving Anna alone with the Queen.

Her heart beat so fast she feared it was going to burst out of her chest.

"Please, sit," the other woman said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of her desk.

Taking a deep breath, Anna steadied her trembling hands and walked forward, cautiously lowering herself into a red armchair. The leather was so soft that she seemed to sink into it.

I'm fine. Nothing to worry about. I'm just sitting across from the most powerful woman in the world. Totally no big deal.

Desperate to relieve the tension she felt, Anna opened her mouth sooner than planned. "Your men don't seem to like me too much," she muttered. Instantly realizing she had (as usual) spoken without thinking, Anna felt her face turn a bright red.

The corners of the Queen's mouth twitched upwards. "Most of them are just frustrated that a young woman managed to step in and do their job for them. And with their error in arresting you now known, that just adds to their indignity. They'll get over it soon enough."

Anna was too afraid to reply, but she smiled slightly at the Queen's statement.

"The reason I summoned you here, Anna, was to thank you. And of course, offer my sincerest apologizes for your unjust imprisonment," she paused. "I don't remember everything, but I know that I owe you my life. One minute those men were dragging me through the snow and then you arrived out of nowhere," she said.

Anna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "It's not quite as heroic as it seemed, Your Majesty. I was simply in the right place at the wrong time," she admitted.

"Indeed? In any event, I am curious as to what transpired while I was unconscious. Would you mind telling me your side of the story?" the Queen asked.

Anna's faced must have brightened even further, because the other woman quickly added, "You don't have to, of course. If it's too painful to remember..."

"It's fine, Your Majesty," Anna interjected. Shit, did I just interrupt the Queen? That has to be in violation of some protocol. Gods, I'm hopeless.

The monarch nodded.

Hesitantly, Anna began her tale, relaying how she had woken up that morning and begun her journey to the Royal City. She described how she had heard the sounds of the attack and witnessed the men take the Queen away. After explaining how she had pulled the guards out of the snow but failed to wake them, Anna explained how she had followed their trail, seen them meet up with a third man, and then concocted a plan to ambush them.

The longer Anna talked, the wider the Queen's eyes seemed to grow.

"And when they passed below me, I fell on top of one and...and," she stammered. Once again, the events of the attack replayed themselves in her mind. Her legs colliding with the guard's chest, her arm stabbing down...blood sprouting from his throat...

"I understand, Anna," the Queen said gently.

The girl nodded gratefully. "So after...that...I threw my dagger at the other guard, grabbed a sword, and the one holding you turned to face me. He threatened to-"

The Queen cut her off with a wave of her hand. "He offered to let you go. I remember the rest. I was conscious enough at that point to hear him. What puzzles me is why, knowing that you really didn't have a chance, you didn't take his offer. Or why you got yourself involved at all, really."

Anna wasn't sure what to say. She knew the Queen's magic would prevent her from lying, but Anna couldn't tell the Queen what she didn't understand herself.

"I-I don't know, Your Majesty. Maybe it was out of a sense of duty. Maybe I just couldn't stand by and watch an innocent woman be subjected to gods know what fate. But I don't know…" she trailed off, feeling stupid.

The Queen looked at her doubtfully. "You don't know what inspired your heroism? Truthfully?"

Anna glanced up at her, surprised. "Why? Did your magic tell you I was lying? Because I've been trying really really hard not to lie, but..."

Now it was the Queen's turn to blush. "My magic can't really do that, Anna. I just told you that when we first met so I could be sure you would tell me the truth. I'm sorry." She glanced down at her desk, apparently feeling guilty.

"Oh." Anna stared down at the floor. Her blush redoubled in intensity as she realized how easily the Queen had outwitted her. Gods, I'm stupid. How the hell did I fall for that? What would ice powers have to do with detecting lies? That was so obvious.

"In any event, I believe you completely," the Queen assured her. "The courage you displayed was, well, remarkable. You risked your life to save mine. In fact, you knew that your actions were on the verge of suicidal and went through with them regardless. You could have just walked away, but instead you demonstrated true valor. For that, you have my everlasting gratitude," she said warmly.

Anna was certain that her face looked like a tomato at this point. "T-thanks, Your Majesty, but that's giving me too much credit. You were the one who saved my life in the end, and besides, I wouldn't have been in that position in the first place if you hadn't shown me mercy the previous night."

The Queen smiled at her. "Letting you go didn't cost me anything, Anna. And I was only able to finish off that guard because you distracted him. If you hadn't been willing to throw your life away for a small chance to save mine, I never would have had the chance to use my magic."

"Well, I-I mean, when you look at it like that-"

Suddenly, a loud rumbling entered the room. It took Anna about a second to realize that it was her stomach protesting a lack of food. In a panicked motion, she reached down to muffle the noise with her arms.

To her relief, the Queen's only reaction was to bring a hand up to her mouth to cover what appeared to be a small giggle.

"I imagine they didn't feed you very well in the dungeons," the Queen noted, a trace of guilt appearing on her face. She retrieved a small bell from her desk and rang it lightly.

Within five seconds, a young serving girl knocked on the doorway. The Queen called for her to enter.

"Could you retrieve a tray of chocolate from the kitchens? One of the larger ones?" she asked.

The girl bowed. "Of course, Your Majesty," she replied, exiting the room.

"Your Majesty, you don't need to-" Anna protested.

"You were down there because of me, Anna. The least I can do is make certain that you don't starve," her tone left no room for argument. "While we're waiting for that," she continued, "There's something else we need to discuss."

Crap. Anna had feared this was coming. The Queen might have been willing to let a known thief go when they were out in the wilderness, but now that she was for all intents and purposes trapped in the castle, her duty would require her to hold Anna accountable for her crimes.

"In recompense for the deed you have performed for the Kingdom of Arendelle, despite the massive risk to your life, it's only fair that you be rewarded for your service," the Queen explained...

Anna's jaw dropped. That had certainly not been what she was expecting.

"Your Majesty, we both know that I...I'm a wanted criminal. I'm certainly not eligible for any..."

They were interrupted by footsteps behind her. Anna turned to see the serving girl bearing a silver tray as wide as her arms. The metal was dotted with countless varieties of chocolate; some were truffles, others were glazed over with icing. Anna could do nothing but stare as the tray was placed upon the desk in front of her; she barely registered the Queen dismissing the servant. She'd always loved chocolate; whenever it was given as a special treat in the orphanage she'd devoured whatever was handed to her. But for a long time, it had been a luxury she couldn't afford, and she hadn't been about to increase what she took in her thefts simply so she could buy candy.

But she'd been tempted. Oh so very tempted. And now there was a whole tray of it in front of her. Anna's mouth watered.

The Queen glanced at her uncertainly. "I'm sorry. I probably should have asked for something more filling, but chocolate's always been something that's made me feel a lot better. I shouldn't have assumed-"

Anna grinned, her sweet tooth overpowering her hesitation. "I assure you, Your Majesty, chocolate is fine. May I?" she asked, reaching her hand out to the tray.

The other woman smiled. "All yours."

It was a struggle for Anna not to shovel the candy down her throat as fast as her hands would allow. Restraining herself, she picked up one particularly delicious looking piece and placed it into her mouth. An explosion of sweetness erupted in her throat.

Immediately after swallowing, Anna reached down to pick up another piece. And another after that. Her nervousness of being around the Queen seemed to melt just as quickly as the chocolate dissolved upon her tongue.

"As I was saying Anna," the Queen said, causing Anna to pause her chocolate-spree. "You deserve a gift from the Crown. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Your Majesty, I-I don't deserve…"

"That's not for you to decide," the Queen interrupted. "I will not have your heroics go without proper compensation."

Anna thought for a moment, still in a minor chocolate-induced haze. She didn't feel comfortable about asking for gold, given her history with nobles and coin, but maybe-

"Perhaps a sword, Your Majesty. I lost my dagger during the attack, after all," she suggested. And with a sword, it'd be a lot easier defending herself. Maybe with enough practice her part, she could...

"A sword?" the Queen confirmed.

Anna nodded. "Maybe a set of armor too," she added hastily.

"You rescue the Queen of Arendelle and in return you want a sword and a set of armor. Hmm...I have another idea."

Anna swallowed nervously. "Yes, Your Majesty?" she asked.

"You told me that you believed you could be naturally talented with a weapon. Given how long you managed to hold off a skilled fighter the other day despite your complete lack of training, I am inclined to believe you. So I shall do as you ask and grant you a sword," she explained.

Anna glanced at the monarch curiously. "How is that, well, different?" she asked.

"A sword will be of little help to you unless you know how to wield it. So I'm going to find someone to train you; there are several Swordmasters who live on the castle grounds. Until they judge you skilled enough to hold your own in competitions and win enough money to support yourself, you'll reside in a room within the castle."

Anna stared at her, mouth wide open in shock. She was a criminal, for gods' sake. The Queen couldn't possibly let her...

"Your Majesty, you-I-mean-I-I can't!" she finally managed to say.

"Regardless of your past, Anna, you are the sole reason that I am sitting here now," the Queen asserted. "You must at least allow me to give you something in return."

Anna considered her words. Living within the castle surrounded by lords and ladies was daunting, but it would be a definite step up from her current conditions. And training with a Swordmaster could guarantee her a steady income for life. She'd never have to steal again, a thought that made her smile.

Worth it.

"I-I accept, Your Majesty. I can't thank you enough for-"

The Queen shook her head. "You owe me nothing, Anna. I'll have Gerda show you where you'll be staying," she glanced at the half emptied assortment of chocolate. "You can take the tray with you, if you want."

Despite herself, Anna couldn't help but smile.

Five minutes later, the woman known as Gerda arrived and Anna took her leave of the Queen. Consumed by her thoughts, she didn't register the Queen's brief conversation with the head servant. On one hand, she was immensely relieved to exit her presence; the effort of not making a fool of herself (or trying not to) had been exhausting. On the other hand, a part of her had enjoyed the Queen's company. The stories some whispered of her being an evil ice sorceress couldn't possibly be more wrong.

Gerda brought her down a short stairway and led her through the hall. "Here we are, miss," she said, indicating a large door.

Anna glanced curiously at the older woman. They were still in one of the upper floors of the Palace; they'd only descended one story from the monarch's study. Surely the Queen hadn't intended for her to stay here.

The servant opened the door to reveal the most luxurious bedroom Anna had ever seen. Red velvet sheets lined a large bed on one side of the room. Facing it was a large window which offered a magnificent view of the castle. A wide glass door beside it led to a small stone balcony overlooking the castle courtyard. The floor was covered by soft blue carpeting that matched well with the room's high white walls. A low table was positioned near the center of the room, surrounded by a set of plush red-orange chairs.

On one side of the bed was a dresser made of solid oak. On the other sat a small bedside table, upon which Anna placed the tray of chocolate she still carried. Oh gods. That bed...those sheets. Anna suddenly realized how tired she was. She ran her hand along the velvet and immediately decided she wanted to lay on them forever.

Gerda led her to a door in the side of the room, opening to a reveal a bathroom paved with solid blue marble. A large empty bath was carved into the floor, paved with a slightly darker shade of the same marble. Anna stared with wide eyes as the older woman explained the castle's advanced water transportation system. Simply turn a certain knob and hot water-hot water!-would begin to flow into the bath.

How long had it been since she'd bathed? A week now? And the last time she'd had a hot bath...years. She wasn't sure which she wanted to use first- the bed or the bath.

"Simply unplug the drain at the bottom and the water will flow out," Gerda was saying. Anna forced herself out of her thoughts and nodded gratefully at the woman.

"Right. I think I've got it. Thanks," Anna said. She couldn't help the grin from breaking out on her face.

"Good. While you're bathing, I'll have someone come by and drop off your wardrobe. There's a bell on your nightstand; ring it when you want dinner brought to your room or you need anything else."

Anna nodded hastily. She couldn't wait try to try out that bath. "Sounds great," she said.

Gerda nodded and turned to leave, but stopped at the door and addressed the young woman again. "You have my thanks for saving the Queen," she said. "Her Majesty is very important to...to the kingdom."

Anna gave an embarrassed shrug. "I didn't…I mean…it was nothing," she replied bashfully.

"I think you'll find that it was more than that," the head servant replied as she left, closing the door behind her. Immediately, Anna moved to the bath, turning the knob and watching the water begin to flow. With a minute, the bath was nearly full and sizzling hot.

She turned off the water, undressed herself, and slowly slid into the bath.

The water was bliss. Aches and pains she didn't even know she had seemed to melt away into the liquid. Anna sat herself down on the bath's underwater bench and allowed the heat to wash over her. She contentedly turned her head to the side and beheld another welcome surprise: two large bottles of soap.

Anna exited the bath an hour later. Her skin was wrinkled, but the redhead felt cleaner than she had in years. Some dirt and dust that had probably accompanied her for months had disappeared down the drain. When was the last time she had been completely clean? Had she ever been?

Drying herself with a towel, she reluctantly moved to her still dirty clothes. It seemed a shame to wear her perpetually filthy shirt and trousers, but it was all she had...

Wait. Hadn't Gerda mentioned something about a wardrobe? Hardly daring to believe it, Anna entered the main room and moved over to the formerly empty dresser and opened the bottom draw. An array of silk and velvet tunics greeted her. Surprise mounting, Anna quickly discovered that the dresser was filled with all the outfits she could ever need. She soon happily strapped on a silken orange nightgown; it may have only been the afternoon, but it was time for Anna to get some sleep.

On her way to the bed, Anna caught a look of herself in the mirror. She could hardly believe the woman reflected in the glass was herself. Spotless copper red hair flowed down Anna's back, and her skin did not even show a hint of grime.

Anna smiled as she settled into the velvet sheets. The redhead laid her head back on the most comfortable pillows she had ever felt and closed her eyes. Gods, this place was nicer than most of the rooms she had broken into.

The thought crashed into her mind like a tidal wave. Living within the castle didn't mean that she was no longer a criminal. A wanted criminal. With a sack of gold coins on her head.

Whenever Anna thought of her status as a petty thief, a profound shame had always entered her mind. That guilt remained, but it was now accompanied by a new sensation nearly as powerful: fear. Before, living in Arendelle's small towns and sleeping either within the cheapest rooms in an inn or on the streets, there had been little chance of her being recognized. The posters had certainly gotten some of her features right, but not enough to discern her from a glance. The only times she had ever been worried about being captured were during the heists themselves.

But now, residing within the castle and surrounded by clever lawmakers, getting recognized was a real possibility. And if that happened...The Queen may not have turned her in before, but the only two people aware of that encounter had been themselves. Her Majesty would certainly not show her such leniency again if everyone were watching. The Queen couldn't put her own reputation on the line simply to protect her.

How am I going to live here?! How can I leave this room, let alone train with anyone?

Anna sighed. She'd deal with that when she had to. For now, her body was crying out for rest. With great difficulty, she shoved her thoughts aside.

Within a minute, she was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Let me make sure that I understand this correctly. You're telling me that despite the vast resources and countless agents at our disposal, we still have no leads onto who was behind the kidnapping?" Elsa questioned, sitting at the head of the table in her main meeting room. Her advisors flanked both sides of the table, ten in number. Several shifted uneasily at her words.

"None," Spymaster Evangeline reluctantly confirmed. "We've sent out a search party to find the bodies of the men that ambushed you. There is a remote possibility that we could find something useful on them. But beyond that, I have nothing."

The head of her intelligence gathering operations, Evangeline had proved highly capable over the years, having discovered and negated several threats to her parents. Her lack of information on a matter such as this was deeply troubling.

"Could it have been the work of a foreign nation?" Elsa prompted.

"The rest of the world remains aware that our military is one of the largest armed forces on the planet. Not to mention our alliance with Corona and your...unique abilities," General Kale noted. "It seems unlikely than any neighboring kingdom would risk provoking us. The attack may have simply been a coordinated effort between several unremarkable individuals on the hunt for a big payday. Investigating these foreign parties and questioning our men may turn out to be pointless."

"Have you forgotten that two Royal Guards were included in the scheme?" Counselor Vlora interjected. "The mere fact that two elite members of our armed forces turned traitor is enough to justify a continued instigation. How a normal citizen would manage to bribe them..."

The General's face flushed. Kale was the head of the Royal Guards, an order that had protected Arendelle's monarch for centuries. Each of its members was an expert with the sword, highly disciplined, and, above all else, completely loyal to the kingdom.

Or at least, they were thought to be.

"Are you suggesting that more of my men were involved in this conspiracy? Two guards turning against the Queen, while certainly serious, does not automatically imply..."

"Enough," Elsa said. The room fell silent. Due to her young age, several of her advisors had once believed that she could become a figurehead ruler to some extent, at least until she overcame her inexperience. It had taken the last of them three days to realize that, although she valued their counsel, there was no question as to who in the room held the power. Or the kingdom, for that matter. Her authority hadn't been questioned in a long time.

"There may still be guards under the influence of an outside benefactor, and there may not be. For now, we will continue our efforts. The men will understand; I was attacked by two of their number, after all," she ordered.

Kale nodded reluctantly. The man to his right, however, did not. "Yes. It is wise to continue the search. But we must discuss your continued protection, Your Majesty. If another inside man betrays you..."

"My abilities afford me quite enough protection in battle, Lord Arald," she replied.

He looked at her doubtfully. "On an open battlefield, you are indeed unassailable, my Queen. But as recent events show, it is possible for you to be taken by surprise. It may be wise to take further precautions to assure your safety," the Lord advised.

Elsa loathed to admit it, but he had a point. Her powers provided her with a powerful offense and nearly impenetrable defense, but if one did manage to strike her, the Queen was as vulnerable as any other woman.

Outwardly, all she convened was a muted sense of frustration. "I let my guard down once. Now that I am aware of the possibility of my own men attacking me, it will not happen again. Enough for today. Meeting adjourned."

After her advisors left, Elsa retreated to her study. She had a servant find Kai, and within three minutes the trusted man was knocking on her door.

The Queen bade him enter.

"Good afternoon Kai," she said as he stepped through the door and shut it behind him.

He bowed. "To you as well, Your Majesty." To most, the head servant would appear as composed as ever, but Elsa detected a slight uncertainty in is tone.

It had been three days since she had awoken from her near-coma. After having Anna shown to her chambers, Elsa had spoken with Kai and requested that he keep an eye on the young woman. It wasn't because of her past as a thief; Elsa doubted that Anna would start pilfering from the castle's treasury after having displayed such courage during her rescue, and at the moment she had no reason to steal.

But suddenly adjusting to living in a castle and being surrounded by lords and ladies probably wasn't going to be easy for someone of such a low-class background. Not that the Queen blamed her for it, of course, but Elsa couldn't help but worry that the girl might accidentally get into some sort of trouble. She seemed to be a magnet for it.

Why she cared...Elsa was quite sure. She was probably just grateful for her rescue, and didn't want to see her savior suffer any further on her behalf.

"How is Anna?" the Queen questioned.

"I have not seen her, Your Majesty," Kai admitted.

Elsa frowned. It wasn't like him to neglect tasks she set for him, even minor ones such as this. "I asked you to keep an eye on her," she reminded him, a slight edge in her voice.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but that has proven to be impossible. Miss Anna has not yet left her room," he explained.

"Are you certain?" she asked, surprised. Kai nodded.

"She's had a few meals brought to her, but according to the servants she has remained in the bedroom."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right. During their meeting, she could tell that Anna had been a bit uncomfortable in the presence of her Queen, but even with her demeanor muted, she didn't seem to have the temperament of one who would remain in a bedroom for seventy-two hours straight. In fact, if Elsa was correct, Anna had the type of personality that would normally cause her to jump at the chance to explore a castle such as this.

"Right. Thank you Kai," she dismissed him.

In any event, she would have to go see the young woman soon. Elsa had taken some time out of her busy schedule to search for the ideal Swordmaster to train the redhead. There were plenty skilled enough to train her in the art of sword fighting, but Anna would need more than that.

Women and men were generally on an equal level in Arendelle, but with one notable exception. The vast majority of both soldiers and tournament contenders were men, and it was only during her parents' reign where women had first been allowed to participate in the military or competitions at all.

Many still felt that that ruling had been a mistake.

Whoever was to train Anna needed to have a progressive line of thinking on the matter. Elsa could force even the most sexist man in the castle to teach her, but his heart obviously wouldn't be in it. Anna would need someone who would actually encourage her, as well as someone capable of putting up with her...less than sophisticated tendencies. And the Queen had finally found such a person.

Arms Master Drell had served in the kingdom's army for nearly thirty years. Due to the long years of peace, the man had never been in a true war, but he had seen many skirmishes with raiders and bandits and lived to tell the tale. Despite the fact that he had recently entered his fifties, his graying hair didn't prevent him from remaining a skilled warrior, and few knew more about combat than he did. Gruff but not harsh, he'd taught some of the kingdom's most talented champions.

Just as importantly, Drell welcomed the inclusion of women into the armed forces. Elsa had gently broached the subject with several potential trainers, and his response had been the most encouraging.

"It's true that men, on average, are better fighters than women. We're stronger, it's as simple as that," he had said. "But that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of women out there capable of holding their own on the battlefield. And with enough inherent skill and practice, the strength factor can be diminished. Maybe not every girl out there could do it. But there are certainly some who can," he'd explained.

Elsa had inquired if he would be willing to train the woman who had rescued her. The man had eagerly agreed. A favor to the Queen was always worth doing. And anyone who had risked so much to save their monarch would be worth the effort.

"Hmm. Inventive enough to come up with a plan to save your life. Brave enough to go through with it. And lucky enough to succeed. Yes, I believe I could work this woman," he'd grunted.

The Queen soon found herself walking to Anna's chambers. In truth, she should probably just have ordered a servant to relay the news, but Elsa was...curious about what had kept the girl cooped up for so long. It had been her idea to have Anna stay in the Castle, after all.

She walked up to the Upper Wing, strode to Anna's door, and knocked. Excited footsteps sounded inside, and the door quickly opened to reveal a grinning Anna.

For a moment, the Queen didn't recognize the other woman.

A few days indoors had done wonders for the redhead. Her hair remained in its usual braids but now seemed to sparkle in the sunlight coming through the window; all the dust that had once woven through it had long been washed away. Her creamy skin, not all of it hidden by the fetching emerald tunic she wore, was flawless save a smattering of small freckles that failed to detract from her beauty. But most striking was the grin on Anna's face; the girl's entire being seemed to radiate warmth.

That is, until she registered the Queen's presence. The grin melted into a look of alarm.

Anna hastily lowered herself into an awkward bow. "Your Majesty!" she yelped as she stumbled forward. "I, uh, was hoping it was the servant with my lunch," her face grew even more panicked. "Not that not happy to see you!" Anna added quickly. "I mean, not that I'm not upset, but a bit surprised..." she sputtered.

Elsa suppressed a laugh. "It's fine, Anna. I trust your accommodations are to your liking?" she asked.

Anna nodded vigorously. "They're wonderful, Your Majesty."

"I just came by to inform you that you will begin your lessons tomorrow. Arms Master Drell has agreed to instruct you. Report to the central courtyard at nine in the morning, you'll find him next to the barracks," the monarch replied.

A look of fear briefly appeared on Anna's face before it was covered with a mask of enthusiasm. "Oh... That's great! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Elsa looked at her curiously. "Kai tells me you haven't left the room since your arrival. Why? Is something wrong?" Elsa couldn't stop herself from asking.

Anna's eyes dropped to the floor. "Nothing, Your Majesty," she replied. "Just trying to get used to all this. With the sheets on the bed and hot water in the bath, it's been hard to drag myself out of here,"

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "Anna, my magic may not be able to detect falsehoods, but it doesn't take a Queen's experience in politics to know that you're not telling the truth."

The girl's eyes widened at the accusation, but at Elsa's continuing glare, they fell to the floor guiltily.

"I'm s-sorry, Your Majesty. You're right." she admitted.

"Anna. I understand a lot of this is new to you. But you saved me from a fate worse than death; I want you to be comfortable here. Tell me what's troubling you," she ordered gently.

Why was she going out of her way like this? Anna had already received a reward for rescuing her; the girl was no longer her responsibility. But then again, combat training and a room in the castle hardly seemed a fair recompense to Anna for risking her life and in some respects saving the kingdom. The least Elsa could do was make her feel secure enough to leave her own room.

Anna nodded, her gaze still rooted to the floor. "Your Majesty, I am still a wanted criminal in the Kingdom of Arendelle. There's a price on my capture. Some of the smartest people in the realm are here; there's a chance I could be recognized, and then..."

The Queen nearly slapped a palm to her forehead. How could she have been so stupid? Anna's heroics hadn't changed the fact that she was a fugitive. There was a (relatively low, but still existent) chance that someone would compare her face with the one on the posters. And Anna would have no reason to believe that such a circumstance wouldn't see her arrested.

How did I forget about this? No matter, it's not too late.

Elsa rested a soft hand on the girl's shoulder. Anna looked up at her, surprise evident on her face.

"I understand, Anna. Wait here," she said. The Queen extracted her arm, turned around, and walked briskly through the bedroom door.

Anna stared at the retreating monarch. Evidently, the Queen had only just realized the danger of Anna's very real concerns.

What was she doing to do? Had the Queen realized what would happen to her reputation if it became known that she was harboring a criminal? Had she decided to preempt this by arresting Anna herself, and gone to fetch the guards?

Her shoulder tingled where the Queen had placed her hand. No, the monarch had not gone to turn her in. Anna had never been a great judge of character, but she could tell that the Queen wasn't the type of person who would betray her so cruelly. She was a far better person than that. But then why had she-?

The Queen returned ten minutes later. In her hand was an envelope stamped with the royal seal.

"I should have thought of this sooner, Anna. I apologize," she said, handing her the bound letter. Anna stared at it stupidly. When she saw the Queen looking at her expectantly, she dug her fingernails under the seal and hesitantly opened the envelope.

Thank the gods they had been taught to read in the orphanage, or this would be embarrassing.

Inside was a folded up scroll. Anna unfurled the paper and began to read.

In recognition of her heroic and selfless acts performed on behalf of the crown, I, Her Majesty Queen Elsa of Arendelle, hereby issue a royal pardon for Anna of Arendelle, and grant her full clemency for any and all crimes she has previously committed. Any withstanding rewards for her capture are henceforth declared null and void.

At the bottom of the page sat the Queen's full signature and a stamp of the royal seal.

Anna nearly fainted. The paper slipped between her fingers and drifted to the ground. Hands trembling, she turned away from the Queen to hide the tears that were beginning to form.

I'm a free woman, she thought as she stared blankly outside her room's window. It felt as if a massive weight Anna hadn't even realized she'd been carrying had been lifted off her shoulders for the first time in years. No longer would she be haunted by the thought that she was an outlaw, a technical enemy of the country she had lived her entire life in.

Anna felt like she could breathe again.

"Anna?"

With a start, she realized she'd turned her back to the Queen. Anna quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and faced her monarch, a large smiled still etched into her face.

"Y-Your Majesty, I can't thank you enough. I don't deserve this..."

The Queen shook her head. "Of course you do. I would have done it days ago had I remembered," she paused. "I would still not recommend that you discuss your past with others in the castle, but on the off chance that you are recognized, simply show them this-" she picked up the pardon off the floor- "And you should have nothing to worry about. If they don't believe it, I'll explain the situation on your behalf," she assured her.

"I-I," Anna stammered. She wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? The Queen letting her go before had been one thing, but using her authority to free her was another matter entirely. "Thank you," she simply repeated.

"Of course, Anna. I'd suggest exploring the castle and grounds after you've finished lunch, there's a lot you might find interesting," the Queen smiled, again handing her the pardon. "And good luck tomorrow."

With that, her monarch turned and left the room.

Anna was still in shock. She was a true citizen of Arendelle once again. There wasn't a price on her head.

The world suddenly seemed a whole lot brighter.

Anna glanced outside; her eyes roamed the massive castle stretched out before her. Truth be told, three days in her room had made her incredibly stir-crazy. She felt an urge to explore every nook and cranny.

"Better not sneak into any restricted areas, though," she muttered to herself. "The pardon didn't say anything about future crimes."

As happy as she was, Anna reminded herself that being recognized would still create a lot of problems, both for herself and more importantly for the Queen. No matter the redhead's heroic actions, the Queen absolving Anna of her crimes would doubtlessly provoke an angry reaction from the many nobles the thief had stolen from. She would leave her room now, but Anna would do everything within her power to avoid bringing shame upon her monarch.


	5. Chapter 5

Anna awoke with a grin on her face. Finally, she was about to experience her life's dream. The art of the sword had always fascinated her ever since she was a little girl, and her favorite games growing up had all involved some form of wooden sword fighting. And now, thanks to Queen Elsa, she had no worries about being arrested in the process.

Dueling with hard sticks wasn't quite the same as fighting with sharpened blades of metal, but Anna had always dominated those games against both the other boys and girls of her age. Some of those skills had to transfer over, right?

The position of the sun outside her window demonstrated that it was roughly eight in the morning.

"Thank you!" Anna called out to the servant who had knocked on the door for her 'wake up call'.

"Breakfast in thirty minutes, ma'am?" the girl outside asked.

"Sounds great!"

Anna climbed out of the soft sheets she still loved and moved over to the bathroom. Smiling, she turned on the hot water and undressed herself. "I could definitely get used to this," she murmured to no one in particular as she settled comfortably into the bath.

It's not forever. She reminded herself. Sighing, Anna remembered that once her training was complete, she'd been off on her own again. Still, at least at that point she'd have a potential source of income other than breaking into nobles' bedrooms. Even the middling fighters in tournaments received some compensation for their efforts.

What if I suck? The thought made her recoil in horror. If the man training her eventually decided that Anna didn't actually show any talent at all, what would happen to her? For one, her time in the castle would certainly be over; she'd have no other excuse to stay. She'd be back on the streets again, and probably stealing again before long.

The very notion made her burn with shame. She was a free woman now. The Queen herself had pardoned her. To relapse back into a life of crime would be to betray the monarch completely, and Anna couldn't stand the thought of doing so.

To hell with her, you need to eat! A voice in her mind protested. Anna grimaced. It was true. Of course, she could always sell her body, but the very idea of a man having his way with her made her want to throw up. That wasn't an option. It would never be an option.

Nervousness now mixed with anticipation, Anna climbed out of the tub and prepared for her first lesson.

Wearing a set of athletic clothes that had been provided in her drawers, Anna made her way into the Palace's massive central courtyard. It didn't take her long to find who she was looking for.

A tall man with graying hair stood a few feet to the right of the Castle Barracks. Anna didn't need the scar on his cheek to recognize him. Arms crossed and face set in a slight frown, he carried himself as a warrior. A polished longsword rested at his hip. Two wooden swords laid on the ground beside him.

"Arms Master Drell?" she asked as she him.

He turned to look at her, and a slight flicker of surprise crossed his face. "You must be the Queen's hero, eh? Bit shorter than I expected," he grunted.

Her face turned bright red. "I...well I didn't exactly...yessir," she decided not to contradict him further.

"Well, let's not waste any time then. Her Majesty says you have some natural talent with a blade. Let's see if she was right," he said.

Anna gulped. "Well...I haven't exactly had any practice," she admitted.

Drell shrugged. "I'm not expecting you to have good technique and form; those can be taught later. What I need to see is if you have the inherent qualities a warrior needs. Speed. Creativity. Determination. And above all, the ability to think fast on your feet. Any fool can fight in an army, but to be good enough to compete in a tournament and defeat a skilled opponent one on one, you need these qualities. They can't be taught; you have them or you don't," he explained.

"Uh..."

"Take this," he said grabbing a wooden sword off the ground and tossing it to her. Anna snatched it deftly by the hilt. It was formed in the likeness of a longsword, capable of being wielded with either one hand or two. Drell picked up an identical weapon. "We fight til one of us yields."

What?! He expected her to fight him already? She didn't even know how to hold a sword correctly!

"We're not wearing armor," she acknowledged weakly. The edges might not be sharp, but a blow from a wooden sword could still bruise nastily.

Drell let out a small chuckle. "Then don't get hit," he advised. "Are you ready?"

Anna pushed aside her fear and nodded. She had no choice.

"Begin!"

In two seconds, Drell had closed the distance between them. His sword jabbed at her chest at lightning speed.

Anna jumped, twisting to the side just before he could make contact. She counterattacked with a downward slash at his weapon arm, forcing him to bring his blade backwards into a parry. He deflected her blow and lashed out with a kick to her stomach.

"Oof!" Anna grunted. She stumbled back, the wind nearly knocked out of her.

Drell advanced again, slashing at her legs. Anna leapt backwards quickly, landing out of range. With a wild swing, she slapped his next attack to the side, responding with a lunge to the chest that the Arms Master avoided with a sidestep, leaving her off balance in the process. Raising his weapon, he swung the sword at her shoulder.

Anna was in no position to block the blow. Desperately, she tried to bend out of the weapon's path, but the wooden blade still scored a glancing blow on her right arm. The former thief hissed in pain as she stumbled out of range. That was going to hurt later.

By this point, many in their vicinity had paused to watch the mock duel. The looks of contempt on around half of their faces confirmed her thoughts; many would took pleasure in watching the inevitable defeat of an upstart girl who had no business partaking in combat.

Anna would fight tooth and nail to avoid giving them the satisfaction.

She swerved to the left; his follow up slash at her chest missed her by inches. For a moment, Anna thought she had an opening, but the gray haired man in front of her was faster than he looked. He brought his own sword back to block her stab to his midsection long before the attack would have connected.

Drell feinted, drawing out a desperate parry from Anna. He twirled his wrist slightly, swerving his blade nearly around her own, and jabbed her hard on her breast.

Jeers erupted from many in the crowd as Anna stepped back, wheezing in pain. Cursing, she rolled to the ground to avoid his next swipe and came up with a slash to his chest. Rounding on her new position, Drell defected the attack easily. She ducked, avoiding his counterattack, and stepped backwards and out his range for the moment.

If they were using real weapons, Anna would have been already been killed thrice over.

But that wasn't the point, she reminded herself. He didn't expect her to win...he couldn't. No, he expected her to fight as hard as she could and display some sort of 'inherent qualities' for sword fighting. Anna wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but she guessed it involved her fighting for as long as possible, and maybe even scoring a blow of her own.

Think. She told herself. Drell was too fast. None of her own attacks would penetrate his defense, and all her attempts to counterattack after blocking one of his blows had ended with herself on the receiving end. Anna couldn't hit him and get away cleanly.

But I don't have to, she realized.

When the Arms Master came at her again, Anna dodged his first attack, blocked the second, but was unable to prevent the third from connecting; he landed a powerful swipe to her shoulderblade.

Anna gave out a cry of pain, tripping over her own feet as she struggled to put distance between them. She fell to the ground, her body barely remaining upright. Drell hesitated for a moment, probably pausing to give her a chance to yield.

No chance in hell.

Seeing as she wasn't about to surrender, he moved forward to continue the offensive. His blade came down in a slash towards her right side.

Anna could have possibly parried the attack, but that wasn't her intention. As Drell's sword came down, Anna began to roll towards her left. If she couldn't catch him off guard after one of his attacks, she would strike during it.

A painful thud in her rips let her know that his sword had made contact. Anna continued to roll with the momentum, blindly swinging her weapon in a wide arc in Drell's direction as she turned.

"Aaah!" she heard him cry as the redhead felt her sword hit something not quite as hard as wood. Anna sprung to her feet to see him clutching at his right hand, the blade that it had just held having fallen to the grass. Had she seriously injured him? That had certainly not been her intention "I'm so sorry, are you..." Anna's voice trailed off as he turned to face her.

The crowd watching turned deathly silent. It began to disperse almost instantly, its members moving away from Anna as fast as possible without outright sprinting through the courtyard.

"You just broke two of my fingers!" he managed to bellow through the pain.

Anna's heart plummeted. Her short time learning the ways of the sword was over, as was her stay in the castle. Unless they threw her in a cell again, of course. So acute was her rising panic that she nearly missed Drell's next words.

"Well done." Great pain was evident in his voice, but anger was not.

Anna's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"

"I yield, Miss Anna," Drell conceded. She looked at him curiously, Why wasn't he furious?

"A-Are you okay?" she managed.

The Arms Master winced. "Not really, he admitted, teeth clenched in pain. "But...I've been through worse."

Anna stared down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

Drell managed a small smile. "You...you were lucky. If that had been a real fight..." he paused, taking a deep breath as his pain appeared to flare up. "But you did better than I could have hoped. You show...considerable potential. Training starts tomorrow, nine in the morning to three in the afternoon; six days a week. Now if you'll...ah...excuse me, I need to see if Her Majesty is available." Drell turned away from her and walked back into the castle, still clutching his wounded hand.

Anna couldn't stop the grin from breaking out on her face. She knew she should be feeling guilty for causing his injury, but instead she wanted to jump in joy. She'd won. She'd been lucky as hell, of course, but still. Most importantly, Drell thought she had potential.

"This is really happening. I'm actually going to learn from a Swordmaster," she whispered to herself in disbelief.

A throb of pain in her ribs finally penetrated her euphoria. Anna suddenly remembered that Drell wasn't the only one who had suffered injuries. There was nothing as serious as broken bones, but a long hot bath was in order. Grinning broadly, she started towards her rooms.

\

Elsa took another small sip of her wine, enjoying the warm glow of alcohol as it flowed through her. Usually, she wasn't much of a drinker, but it had been a very stressful week.

It was six o'clock at night, and the Queen, as usual, was sitting alone in the Royal Dining Room. The hundreds of soldiers, servants, and officials that lived in the Castle all had their own places to eat together, but this room was meant only for the monarch's personal use and official state visits. So at the moment, save for herself and two servants who stood off to the side ready to attend to her needs, the room was empty.

The Queen of Arendelle again went over the melody of concerns that echoed throughout her mind. First and foremost, whoever had ordered the kidnapping attempt on her person must be brought to justice; his continued freedom without a doubt posed a large threat to the kingdom. Then there was the matter of the Royal Guards. The elite order had been unwaveringly loyal to the crown for centuries, and the fact that two of their number had been subverted weighed heavily on several of her advisers. War had broken out between Weselton and Slavia thanks to a combination of border disagreements and terrorist attacks. The two small nations had little in the ways of military and would doubtlessly soon tire of the conflict, but for the moment Arendelle was in the difficult position of maintaining complete neutrality while simultaneously avoiding trying to avoid pissing off either of the potential trade partners. All of this was accompanied by a food shortage in one of the northern provinces, a result of the cold weather that had plagued the country for the last two months. No one was going hungry just yet, but if they didn't act quickly to divert resources...

She glanced a ways down the long lonely table, focusing her eyes on the chair she had sat in while still a Princess. Now she saw seated at the high chair at the end of the table, the place where her father had eaten his meals during happier times.

Gods, she missed her parents. Nothing had been remotely the same since that tragic night. The Queen would never forget it. The last time she'd seen them. The petty argument they'd had as they left.

Waiting eagerly for her parents to return from their diplomatic mission, her worry had grown with each passing day after they failed to return on time.

Then Kai had come into her room one morning. The wreckage of their ship had been found adrift at sea. There was no chance they could have...

In an instant, Elsa had become both a Queen and an orphan.

Why? she had cried to herself. Why did they have to leave me? They couldn't have...How can I run a kingdom? How can I live without them? I can't!

Elsa had still been a reserved and introverted woman while her parents were alive, but she'd still been happy, even if she hadn't always expressed it. Now she was alone, and the world seemed that much darker. She hadn't been very close with anyone else in the Castle while growing up. Being diplomatic and interacting with foreign dignitaries had always come easy to her, but real, unfiltered social interactions had always been difficult for the Ice Queen. She'd never been good at making friends, and while Elsa did have extended family whom she cared for, she was only able to see them occasionally. Kai and Gerda also supported her, but there would always be veil of formality between her and them.

Despite all of the men and women advising her, Elsa sometimes felt as if her parents' deaths had left her alone in the world, with the responsibility of an entire kingdom on her shoulders.

Elsa finished her meal in silence, politely thanking the servants, and made her way to the Castle Library. It was time for a break.

At this time of night, the library was empty. A scattering of candles and the moonlight that shone through its many small windows lighted the room, but it wasn't bright enough for most to read comfortably. Thanks to her magic's ability to glow, Elsa didn't share that problem. Which was convenient, as she preferred to be alone while absorbed in the book.

She entered the room and began to comb through the shelves. Reading had always been a passion of hers; many of the books on display rested in her hands at one point or another. It was so comforting sometimes to plop into a leather chair and sink into the pages of a story. For a few short hours, it was possible to disconnect herself from Arendelle's troubles.

Rounding the corner and turning down, she passed one of the table sets scattered throughout the library. Two soft chairs sat on either side of a round mahogany table, atop of which was a large, intricately detailed Chess set.

Elsa frowned. She'd always enjoyed playing Chess with both of her parents. Eventually, she'd proven so skilled at it that neither of the adults could match her, but their games had still been enjoyable.

"See how smart you are?" Her mother had once said to her, after Elsa had just won her fifth game in a row. She'd only been fourteen at the time. "You're going to make a wonderful Queen someday."

"But mama!" she protested. "You're the Queen! And papa's the King. I don't want to be in charge yet!"

"And you don't have to be," her mother promised, kissing her forehead. "Papa and I aren't going anywhere for a very long time. But one day, when you're much, much older, you'll become the greatest Queen that Arendelle will ever have."

Elsa gave a heavy sigh, wiping a rare tear from her eye. At the end of the row, she turned left and began to walk down another aisle, more intent than ever to find a book she could lose her thoughts in.

She hadn't played Chess in a long time. A few times, she'd tried inviting some servants who knew how to play into a friendly game, but they'd always let the Queen win. They pretended to try, of course, but it had been easy to see that their hearts weren't in it. They probably feared the Queen would punish them in some form if they managed to beat her, unaware that Elsa would prefer losing to a serious opponent than 'winning' against someone who threw the match.

Finally, she found a text that looked promising. Elsa clutched the book to her chest and made her way back down the aisle. Planning on sitting in one of the chairs she had recently passed, the Queen turned to the right, ready to sink into the leather seat and take a break from reality. She rounded the corner...

Only to discover that she was now longer alone. A woman now stood above the table set, facing away from the Queen and looking down at the chess pieces. Her hair was now done in a single intricate braid, but its copper red sheen was enough to identify her instantly.

"Anna?" the Queen asked.

The former thief jumped with a start. She rapidly turned around, surprise evident on her face. "Your Majesty," she greeted with a deep bow. The girl was wearing a deep red tunic, but despite the Castle's warm temperature, she had for some reason had chosen to supplement it with a light blue jacket that draped over her shoulders.

She's not exactly a fashion expert, Elsa noted the contrasting colors with amusement. Still, it's not as if someone like her needs the aid of fashion to look good.

"Good evening, Anna. Are you searching for a book?" Elsa asked.

Anna frowned. "Oh...uh...no, not really. I've never really been one for reading. I was just looking around, like you suggested, and..." comprehension dawned on her face. "Oh, did you want to sit here? Sorry. I was just admiring this Chess set and-never mind. I'll be going, Your Majesty."

"You play Chess?" the Queen couldn't stop herself from asking.

Anna shifted uncomfortably. "Hardly, Your Majesty. I've never really taken the time to learn." She gave a small grin. "I am a pretty good checker player though."

"Checkers?" Elsa questioned, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. I played with some of the other kids when I was little. Turned out to be pretty good at it. I've been able to win a few coins occasionally while playing in a tavern," she explained.

"I always thought checkers was a kid's game," Elsa thought out loud. "It's so simple...how can it be a matter of skill?" She doubted a single person in the kingdom didn't know the rules of the classic board game, but the thought of people taking it seriously was strange to her.

Anna shot her a look she couldn't quite identify. "Care to find out, Your Majesty?" she offered. Judging by the look on Anna's face, her words had surprised both of them.

Was the Queen of Arendelle really being challenged to a game of checkers? It was ridiculous...but when she looked at Anna's nervous yet expectant face, something made her mind say what the hell?

"Alright, Anna. I take it you have some pieces we can use?"

The girl smiled nervously. "Not exactly. But there should be some in here..." she moved the lid off the chessboard, took a look inside the open box, and quickly extracted a small black leather pouch.

As Elsa sat down, Anna swiftly placed the chess pieces off to the side and placed twenty-four flat checker tiles on the board; twelve white ones in front of the Queen, and twelve red ones adjacent to herself.

"I believe the host moves first. Come, Your Majesty, let us begin this simple children's game," Anna beckoned.

For a moment, the Queen simply stared at her. Had Anna really just taunted her? The former thief was evidently having the same thoughts, judging by the way she now bit her lip tightly.

At least I know she's not going to let me win. TheQueen gave a mental shrug.

"Very well," Elsa finally said, moving a white piece to the center of the board. Was it just her imagination, or did Anna give a small sigh of relief at that?

Her opponent thought for a brief moment, then made her own play, matching the Queen's maneuver with an identical move. Elsa countered by moving up another piece alongside her first.

Immediately, a smug smile broke out on Anna's face. She swiftly placed a piece in between the two forward white tiles. "You have to jump, Your Majesty," she said innocently.

Wordlessly, the Queen did so. Her curiosity at Anna's plan, however, soon gave way to irritation as the girl took advantage of the forced move to respond with a double jump that left Elsa down a tile. Five moves later, and Elsa was down a further two pieces.

"You win," Elsa conceded.

Anna smiled. "Want to try again?" she asked, setting up the board as she spoke.

"Yes. I think I understand how the game works now," the Queen replied stiffly, reaching out to make the first move.

The game didn't last long. Elsa could tell that the girl was trying to hide it, but over the next two minutes, the grin on Anna's face grew wider and wider.

"King me," she said happily, completing a triple jump and landing on Elsa's side of the board.

Elsa sighed. "You know what you're doing, I'll grant you, but it won't take me long to master this," she murmured.

"Of course, Your Majesty. New game?" Anna asked sweetly.

"Yes. I think I know your strategy now. Moving second gives you an advantage; this time, you'll go first."

Anna shrugged. "If you say so, my Queen."

Elsa's frustration didn't do her any favors, her opponent gained an insurmountable advantage in seven plays.

Her jaw clenched after Anna lured her into yet another shot. The girl must have noticed, judging by her next words.

"It's not illegal to beat the Queen at a board game, is it?" she asked, her voice layered with mirth.

Elsa gave her a wry smile. "Not at the present. But I'm issuing a decree tomorrow. "

Anna giggled. "Again?" she propositioned, waving her hand of the board dramatically.

The Queen nodded. "Don't you fear my royal wrath if you continue to win?" she asked.

Anna shrugged. "You didn't punish me after I snuck into your chambers and nearly stole-" she stopped herself, the girl's face going red as she realized she was reminding the Queen of the shameful incident that had been their first meeting.

Elsa chose to ignore it, moving her first piece. Anna composed herself and matched her play. Twenty moves in, and the Queen surrendered once again.

Think she told herself. Her pride refused to allow her to leave until she won at least one game, but Anna seemed to be unbeatable.

Everyone had a weakness, Elsa knew. But her opponent's gameplay was too skillful for the Queen's inexperienced eyes to spot a potential flaw.

Maybe I don't have to, Elsa realized. I can't beat her through skill, but if I distract her somehow...

"Set up the board, Anna," the Queen said, standing up. "I'll be back in a minute." Anna looked up at her curiously but nodded.

Following a quick trip to the kitchens, Elsa was returning to the library accompanied by a single servant. When the two came within sight of Anna, the girl's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

"Right here is fine, thank you," the monarch said to the servant. The girl dutifully set up the folding table where the Queen indicated, then placed the large tray she carried on top of it. At Elsa's nod of dismissal, the servant bowed and walked out of the library.

"Ready, Anna?" Elsa prompted as she took her seat.

"Wow. That's...wow," Anna breathed. Her gaze was glued to the assortment of chocolates neatly piled on the silver tray. Unconsciously, she reached toward the top of the pile, hesitating only when her fingers were an inch away. Anna looked towards the Queen, uncertainty in her eyes.

"Go ahead," said Elsa, taking one the chocolates herself.

"Thanks," Anna smiled, placing a piece of candy in her mouth. She made her first move before swallowing, clearly savoring the taste.

"You're welcome, Anna," the Queen replied.

Her 'strategy' didn't exactly work. Anna was a bit distracted, but she still made certain to make her moves carefully. In fact, her plan ended up backfiring. Elsa liked chocolate almost as much as the other woman, and thanks to her inexperience with the game, the Queen was far more vulnerable to being lulled into making stupid mistakes.

Still, Elsa didn't regret brining the candy. It certainly seemed to make her guest happy, and knowing that she was responsible filled Elsa with a warm feeling the Queen couldn't quite identify.

She saved my life and got chained up for days because of it, I'm happy because I'm making up for it.

"This isn't Chess, Your Majesty," Anna advised her after her the monarch's fifth loss. "You have to take into account that I can directly force you into making moves."

Strangely, the more times she beat the Queen, the less nervous Anna seemed to become. Others would have let up by now for fear of some kind of reprisal, but the girl in front of her happily continued to beat her down without mercy.

"This is so good, Your Majesty. How do you resist eating chocolate for every single meal?" Anna asked.

Elsa's right hand came up to muffle the Queen's chuckle. "It's a struggle sometimes," she admitted. "Especially when I can-" she stopped herself a second too late.

"Can what, Your Majesty?" Anna asked curiously.

Damn. Now that Anna was finally becoming comfortable, the last thing Elsa wanted was to rekindle the girl's nervousness, but something told the Queen that lying would be a bad idea.

Elsa sighed, pulling down her right sleeve. "I'm going to use a small amount of magic," she warned Anna. "It's perfectly safe; don't be frightened."

"Why would I be afraid?" Anna asked, her expression one of confusion.

Elsa stared at her. "My magic doesn't frighten you?"

"Of course not. It's the most incredible thing I've ever seen," the girl replied.

"You are aware that my powers have the potential to injure or kill you instantly, and could freeze over the entire continent within an hour?"

Anna's eyes widened in amazement. "They could...wow...I had no idea you were that powerful! I mean, I knew you were powerful, like really powerful, but I didn't know..."

"That doesn't horrify you?" Elsa interrupted, failing to conceal her shock. "I might be able to turn the planet into a giant block of ice, and..."

"You have enough power to…that's amazing!" Anna exclaimed. The girl's expression morphed from wonder to fear as she realized she had applied her unfortunate habit of interrupting people onto the Queen herself.

Elsa resumed talking before Anna could babble an apology. "It doesn't scare you, knowing the destruction I could unleash with a wave of my hand?"

Anna's lips formed into a small smile. "Well...no, not really. Your magic saved my life and healed me, remember? What you could do with it doesn't matter. And you're obviously not the type of person to abuse it, Your Majesty."

She's serious! Usually, even those who her powers had healed flinched when she used her magic. Sometimes, it had made even her parents uneasy. Only one other person had ever completely accepted her powers, and Elsa didn't see her too often.

"Thank you, Anna. That's...nice to hear," Elsa admitted. "Now, where was I?"

She lifted her hand above the still sizable pile of chocolate. A continuous but low-strength blast of frost emanated from her palm, hitting the candy below.

Anna seemed to be utterly enraptured by the display. She certainly didn't flinch; if anything, the girl leaned closer to the tray.

Elsa finally broke off the magic. "Sometimes, chocolate tastes even better frozen," the Queen explained, placing a piece of the now cold and hard candy into her mouth.

Anna did the same. Her face lit up. "It does," she agreed. The girl began to consume the candy at an even greater rate.

The Queen smiled at her reaction. "Ready?" she asked, gesturing to the board.

"Yup. Are you, Your Majesty?" A hint of a challenge was evident in her voice.

Elsa nodded, but she looked at her opponent strangely. Having someone act so...forward towards her was a strange experience, but the Queen found it somewhat refreshing.

Therefore, Elsa was surprised when, in middle of their sixth game, beads of sweat began to appear in Anna's forehead.

"Are you concerned that I've finally figured this game out?" the Queen questioned, gesturing to the girl's forehead.

Anna's face went red, but she shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. It's just a little warm in here," she admitted.

Elsa had never been able to experience the sensation of feeling hot or cold; her powers made the temperature seem perfectly normal to her whether it was zero degrees-or one hundred. But she could imagine why Anna would be feeling hot at the moment.

"Take off your jacket," Elsa suggested.

Anna's blush deepened. "I have some, uh, injuries from earlier, Your Majesty. They're pretty...well, ugly," she admitted.

The Queen nodded in understanding. "Ah yes, I remember. Drell told me about your duel when I was fixing his fingers." Elsa hadn't exactly approved of the Arms Master forcing Anna into the ring untested and untrained, but he'd defended his actions.

"I needed to know if she had the potential, Your Majesty," Drell said.

Elsa sighed. "And what did you think?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Can't know for sure yet, but it seems as if she could be a natural. It's rare for any of the guards to score a hit on me, and they've practiced for years. She was lucky, but Anna showed real determination and creativity. Perhaps I'll be able to make a fighter out of her after all."

"Oh...yeah. I'm really sorry about that, Your Majesty," Anna admitted.

Elsa shrugged. "Drell is the one who challenged you. And my magic healed his injuries. There's nothing for you to apologize for."

"I guess..." Anna frowned. "Was he angry at all?" she asked nervously.

"No, not at all. He certainly wasn't enjoying the pain, but he was certainly impressed by your actions," the Queen replied. "How badly were you hurt?" she finally questioned.

Anna winced. "I'll be sore tomorrow, but it's nothing to worry about. No broken bones or anything."

Elsa hesitated. It was her policy not to use her magic to heal minor injuries. Although she enjoyed helping her people, if the Queen healed every single injury that occurred in the city, or even the Castle itself, literally all her time would be taken up. She'd never be able to rule the kingdom effectively.

But part of her couldn't stand to let the young woman in front of her continue to suffer when she could fix it so easily. Besides, Anna had saved her life; certainly that justified a little special treatment?

She stood up. "Where are you hurt?" Elsa asked as she walked up to the other woman.

"The shoulder, Your Majesty," Anna said, tapping a spot on the top of her arm.

"Let me see," she replied gently.

Anna hesitated for a brief movement before standing up and slowly removing her jacket. The blue garment slid to the floor, leaving Anna clad in her slightly revealing red tunic. Elsa's eyes roamed the other girl's exposed skin...and the Queen winced when she saw the dark bruise that marred her flesh.

Elsa placed her fingers on the injury, allowing her magic to begin its work. The light blue glow traveled into the affected area, and the bruise gradually lost its color.

Anna contently shut her eyes. "That feels good," she murmured.

"Did you get hit anywhere else?" the Queen asked as the blemish faded almost entirely.

"The ribs," Anna admitted. "But it's fine, you don't need-" she stopped as Elsa's still active magic traveled down her arm. As it reached below her chest, the blue glow disappeared under her shirt. The girl didn't say anything for thirty seconds, but her eyes shut even tighter.

"Are you alright, Anna?"

She nodded stiffly. "It's so cold, but it feels good."

The magic finally faded, its job finished. Elsa retracted her fingers, and the redhead examined her arm. "It's gone," Anna breathed, seeing nothing on her skin but the usual light patch of freckles.

Anna did an experimental jumping jack, looking down at her ribs. "It's not even sore anymore," she breathed. "Your magic..." The girl's eyes suddenly rose to meet her own. For a few seconds, Anna simply stared at her, mouth slightly ajar. The redhead's gaze seemed to bore into Elsa's eyes as an expression the Queen couldn't identify settled upon her face.

The moment passed, and the former thief appeared to return to reality. "Thanks, Your Majesty," Anna said gratefully, bowing low. "I hope that didn't, uh, drain you, or anything...again."

"Of course, Anna. And I'm fine. Usually my magic tires me only slightly; my blackout before probably occurred only thanks to my concussion," Elsa assured her.

Anna nodded and returned to her seat. "I can see why I should fear your magic. I mean…it's terrifying!"

Elsa smiled, returning to her seat as well. She probably should have reprimanded Anna for using sarcasm on the Queen, but having someone be completely unafraid of her powers sapped any potential anger out of her.

"Does it have limits?" Anna asked. "The healing, I mean. When you fixed up my leg before, it didn't mend completely for an entire day."

The Queen nodded. "I can heal most minor injuries within a few seconds. Broken bones and simple cuts, I can fix pretty easily as well. But life-threatening injuries take a few minutes of concentrated magic, and sometimes in extreme situations my powers can't give someone a full recovery even though they end up surviving what would have killed them otherwise. My abilities don't work against disease in the slightest, and can't do anything to bring people back from the dead." And gods know I've tried. Once the bodies of her parents had been found, she'd spent days trying to revive them with her magic, but nothing she did had had the slightest effect.

The most powerful being in the world, and you're helpless, she had berated herself. All your strength and you can't even save those you love.

"Are you the only one with magic?" Anna asked, snapping her out of her memories.

Elsa mentally composed herself and shook her head. "No. It's incredibly rare, but there are some throughout the kingdoms who are known to possess a paltry amount of magical power. Some serve various kings. Others, depending on where they've been born, are sentenced to immediate execution. At the fringes of the world, there are rumors of cults ruled by those who possess magic and centered on the arcane abilities of their leaders. I might not even be the only one with the power over ice, according to some reports, although I am the only one who can heal."

Her companion's face lit up in surprise. "There are others like you? Are any as powerful as you are?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. Even the most powerful wielders of magic only have enough strength to affect the world on a very limited scale. The vast majority of them can't do anything more than parlor tricks. Part of the reason my magic frightens so many is that it appears there are few, if any, limits on what I can do. Throughout history, no one has demonstrated a fraction of the abilities that I possess. And the public and the other kingdoms aren't even aware of the full scope of what I can do. Already, a few foreign churches have declared me a devil, or a harbinger of the apocalypse, due to my 'unholy' abilities. Thankfully, they don't have significant followings in Arendelle."

Her eyes returned to the board. "Are you ready to finish?" she asked.

Anna nodded. "Yes. I believe it's my move-" she positioned a piece in front of one of Elsa's, forcing her to jump. A hole opened in the Queen's line, Anna forced her next move and secured a triple jump.

Rather than king the girl yet again, Elsa raised her hands in surrender. "I admit it. This game is more difficult than I imagined. You were right."

"Care to try again tomorrow?" Anna blurted out. Her blush quickly returned in full force.

The Queen froze. Gods, this was absurd. Losing six games of Checkers in a row to a peasant girl, and then being challenged to a rematch. But something-her competitive streak, perhaps-stopped Elsa from caring.

"I can't tomorrow, Anna," she replied, remembering her meeting with the royal advisors scheduled for the next night. The redhead nodded, her eyes fixed to the floor.

"But the night after, perhaps," the Queen finished. Immediately, the redhead brightened.

"Really? Are you sure-of course you are, why else would you-" With visible effort, Anna cut off her own rambling. "Four-thirty a good time, Your Majesty?" Elsa nodded.

"Yes. Now, it really is time for me to get to bed. Good luck with your first true day of training," the Queen stated as she rose out of her chair and turned away.

Elsa heard "Thank you, Your Majesty," as she walked towards the doors. But what she didn't see was the redhead's eyes following her out, trained on the Queen's back like glue.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna collapsed onto her bed in a heap. Never had she imagined one could feel so elated and yet so terrified at the same time. And for the same reasons.

She'd spent the last two hours-two hours-alone with the Queen of Arendelle. Playing checkers in the library. And destroying her in each and every game.

It had been frightening, at first. For reasons unknown to her at the time, Anna had blurted out a challenge to the Queen, a proposition that the monarch had shockingly accepted. Anna had been terrified of making a fool of herself, or stepping out of line and violating one protocol or another. She'd never been the best at thinking before speaking.

And while she wasn't sure exactly what protocols she had broken, Anna knew that the full list likely amounted to several.

But over time, her worry had dissipated. Queen Elsa's company was pleasant, and the monarch hadn't so much as commented on any of the girl's many blunders. Anna had soon begun to realize that there was little chance of any negative consequences for any minor mistakes she made while in the monarch's presence.

She was kind enough to let me go after I broke into her room in the dead of night and tried to rob her. And that was before I helped rescue her. I'm not going to be thrown in the stockades for a little sarcasm.

And so Anna had gradually grown more comfortable as they continued to play, (the magical healing and frozen chocolate certainly hadn't hurt either.) She'd even been reckless enough to offer a rematch, and the Queen had accepted.

The thought of spending more time with the monarch made her excited. But it also filled her with dread. As Elsa had healed her injuries, Anna had realized a dangerous truth.

She'd developed a crush on the Queen. A big one.

How could she not have? Elsa was gorgeous, without a doubt the most stunning woman Anna had ever laid eyes on (even without her magnificent ice dresses.) She was graceful, elegant, powerful, confident, and very intelligent, pretty much everything Anna herself wasn't. Her magic was without a doubt the most amazing thing that Anna had ever witnessed. But it was when the Queen had insisted on treating her minor injuries, and she had glimpsed the graciousness and kindness that were often masked by her regal demeanor, that Anna had fallen for her completely.

Anna was attracted to women. She always had been. It had taken her some time to realize it, but after years of all of the (frequent) advances men made on her doing nothing but creeping her out, and she'd caught herself staring at other females one too many times, Anna had finally realized that her sexual interests were a tad unorthodox.

This fact had been confirmed by a handful of passionate nights at some tavern or another; whenever Anna had had a bit too much to drink, the partner in her bed the next morning had always been another woman.

Arendelle didn't discriminate based on sexuality. At least, not in any legal capacity. But there was a social stigma that came with only liking those of the same gender, at least in some circles. The majority of people didn't care much, but there was a vocal minority that didn't feel that her...lifestyle choice, they called it, was acceptable. For various reasons (religion, social customs, sheer ignorance), many considered her sexuality to be an abomination.

Even among the aforementioned majority, the revelation of where her attractions laid often raised a few eyebrows. Anna certainly wasn't unique, but same-sex relations were still relatively rare, and witnessing one often caught many people off guard.

It had never been easy to tell how a person would react to Anna's sexual preferences. So, as a general rule, Anna never mentioned them unless she had no other choice. When the Queen had asked why she didn't find a husband, Anna had dodged the question.

If she had to guess, given what'd she had seen of the Queen, Elsa wouldn't be the type to dismiss her as a heathen if she learned of her attraction to women. But there would certainly be at least some in the castle who would, and Anna would do anything to avoid having to go through that.

But if the monarch learned that Anna had feelings for her... Even if she was willing to forgive Anna for her impudence, it would make things between them unbearingly difficult. And Anna was awkward enough around her already.

If she accidentally let her attraction to the Queen reveal itself...no, she couldn't allow that to happen. Anna had enjoyed spending time with the Queen and wouldn't be able to resist the chance to do so again. But she would make utterly sure that nothing that came out of her typically rash mouth betrayed a hint of the truth.

She must never know.

/

A soft but confident knock sounded on her door. "Enter," Elsa called.

The door swung open and a thin, tall woman entered her study. The kingdom's spymaster was a thirty-five year old woman, gifted with striking green eyes and smooth brown hair. Many would consider her young for the position, but she'd proven her loyalty and skill many times over. A dozen plots hatched against her parents had been thwarted in their infancy thanks to her efforts. The spymaster was fierce, determined, and more than a tad ruthless, but no one could do her job better than she could.

"Good morning, Evangeline," the Queen greeted.

The woman bowed. "To you as well, Your Majesty. You asked to see me?"

"Yes. I wanted to speak with you privately before the meeting this evening. I assume you can gather why?"

The older woman nodded. "You're very suspicious as to how and why two Royal Guards turned against you, despite a history of loyal service, and how it is that we don't have a hint as to who is responsible. And you want to know if I suspect any of your other advisors of complicity in the plot."

Elsa nodded. She trusted many of her councilors. Nearly all of them were ambitious, but their loyalty to Arendelle had never been questioned. There were some, however, who Elsa didn't know well enough to judge. And with two Royal Guards, members of an order that had served the monarchy with steadfast dedication for centuries, having betrayed her, the Queen wasn't ruling anything out.

Evangeline shook her head. "I'm sorry, my Queen. I have no leads. That doesn't mean I have full confidence in the Council, but I have no reason to suspect any of them either. For the moment. My agents will continue to investigate the situation.."

Damn. Of course, she shouldn't have suspected anything different. The spymaster would have come to her on her own if she had any sensitive information to tell. The Queen mentally shuddered. She'd allowed the incident to unnerve her.

"What about the search of the men's' bodies? You found nothing at all?"

Evangeline frowned. "There was one thing. A piece of parchment one carried in his chest pocket. Unfortunately, it's almost completely ruined, soaked in blood from the man's neck wound. My agents are attempting to examine it; it's a slow process trying to decipher the words on it without damaging it further. They may well succeed in determining what it said, but it's possible that the words written on it were completely unrelated to the attack on your person. Nevertheless, it is all we have at the moment."

"Very well. Report to me immediately if you discover the slightest bit of information," the Queen said. "I'll see you at the meeting. Dismissed."

Evangeline remained where she was. "Wait, Your Majesty. I've heard that the woman who found you has been staying in the Upper Wing, yes?" she asked.

The Queen nodded. "I've allowed her to remain and receive instruction in combat as a reward for her actions. Why do you ask?"

The spymaster's eyes narrowed. "Are you certain she truly rescued you from those men? We know nothing of her past. She could be a criminal." Elsa resisted the urge to chuckle. If only you knew.

"It's possible that your memory was addled by your concussion. Or that her actions were part of a larger plan designed to gain access to the Castle. I find it unwise to not look into her motivations. At the very least, even with what you remember, her story seems highly suspect."

Anna was innocent. Elsa knew that. She was a former criminal, but the Queen could tell the girl was as pure as they come. And while Anna's tale of that day was certainly strange, the Queen had heard stranger reports.

"No. I have reason to trust her at her word. And the wounds found on the bodies correlate with how she retold the events," the monarch reminded her. According to the report, however, both Royal Guards had been stabbed in the neck by a short blade, exactly how Anna had described.

"I'm certain she had nothing to do with the attack. Although..." A thought occurred to her. Anna had told her the truth, but it was possible she hadn't told her all of it. Elsa hadn't exactly questioned her intensely while the girl had told her the tale. It's possible that Anna might have seen or heard something that was relevant but hadn't realized it; a small detail that on the surface appeared useless might yield a clue.

"Maybe she knows something she doesn't realize is important. You have my permission to talk to her," the Queen finished. The spymaster smiled slightly and nodded. The look on her face was unnerving.

Elsa suddenly remembered her agent's reputation.

"Evangeline," the monarch beckoned as the woman turned to leave. "I said talk to her. Not conduct an interrogation. She saved me from imprisonment and will receive the benefit of the doubt. Meet with her politely and ask her to remember anything she might not have thought to mention to me previously. That is all." Elsa could imagine how an intense questioning session between the two of them would go. Anna would probably end up so out of sorts she'd make the spymaster think she was hiding a past as a mass murderer. And the redhead didn't deserve to go through that.

A small but perceptible scowl appeared on Evangeline's face, but she dipped her chin in acquiescence.

"Of course, Your Majesty," she agreed.

/

The next two days of training went by without any instances of broken bones or serious bruising, but Anna was dismayed to learn that for the time being, her 'instruction' would consist of little more than physical conditioning. Now that Drell knew she would be capable of advancing to the next level when her body was ready for it, Anna wasn't going to be touching any swords (wooden or otherwise) for two weeks. Instead, from nine to three every day she would be running and lifting weights, two activities that she hated.

Anna had been in relatively good shape; despite never having quite enough to eat, living on the road had given her plenty of opportunity to exercise. But Drell expected her to take it to the next level. To unlock her potential with a sword, she had to be fast and strong enough to use it, and possess enough stamina to make it through an entire tournament and still have enough energy to breathe.

Over the next two days, Anna gritted her teeth and did as he instructed. Truth be told, it wasn't quite as bad as it could have been. Living in the castle afforded her both all the food she could want and plenty of time to rest comfortably, two things that proved vital. Better still, the Queen's magic had completely healed her injuries from her first day, and the soreness that would have probably made her life much more difficult was nonexistent.

More than that, her magic had seemed to fill her with extra energy. Anna hadn't noticed immediately, but by the end of the first day she definitely was holding up better than she normally would have. And after hours of heavy lifting, her muscles seemed to have completely recovered in one night. Elsa hadn't mentioned any such side effects, but after seeing what the Queen could do, Anna was ready to believe anything.

"You're doing well," Drell said to her after they finished on the second day. "I haven't seen many women who can keep going as long as you can. Granted, I haven't trained that many women," he smirked slightly. "But keep this up and we might just be able to move on to the real training a bit early."

Anna smiled at the praise. It was great to know she was making progress, although if her suspicions were correct, she wouldn't be having as much success once the after-effects of the Queen's magic wore off.

"Thanks. I'll do my best!" she promised. This conditioning was certainly unpleasant, but it would be well worth it in the end. After years of hardship, she finally had a viable path to a better future, and it was incredibly satisfying to be working toward it.

She was halfway back to her room before, with a combination of elation and fear, she remembered her appointment with the Queen.

The next hour was spent cleaning herself furiously in the bath, picking out the absolute best clothes that were available in her wardrobe, and fixing her hair into a neater version of her usual twin braid style. Anna considered experimenting with some light touches of the makeup provided in her bathroom, but she had no idea how to use it correctly. So she eventually decided the potential rewards weren't worth the risk if she messed up, and chose to forego any eyeliner or lipstick.

Act normally and stay calm, she told herself. Accidentally breaking a few rules of etiquette isn't going to be the end of the world. Just don't show her any hints about...that...and I'll be fine.

/

Anna hurried through the halls, moving a bit faster than most did through the Castle. The servants she passed smiled at her, but a few nobles looked at her with contempt.

Think whatever you want, Anna thought. But I'm meeting with Queen!

She made her way down to the library to find the Queen already sitting at the table set from yesterday. Doing her best not to stare at the monarch's current ice dress (did she make a new one every day?) Anna bowed. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

The Queen smiled. "Good evening, Anna. Please, sit," she said warmly.

Swallowing her lingering nervousness as best she could, Anna approached the table to see the board already set up. Her eyes widened as she noticed two large cups filled with a dark liquid on the table; one on her side of the board, and one in front of the Queen.

"Is this for me?" Anna asked as she sat down. At the look of amusement on the Queen's face, Anna nearly groaned. "Stupid question, of course it is, why else would it be here...?" she mumbled. So much for staying calm.

Elsa brought her hand to her mouth, a gesture Anna recognized to mean that the Queen was hiding her laughter. "Yes. I thought you might like it," she said, lowering her arm.

"Er...thanks, Your Majesty, but I, uh, don't drink. Not since the last time I..." her face went red at the curious look that appeared on the Queen's face. "N-nothing too serious, alcohol just doesn't m-mix well with me, b-because I...a...well...already crazy and awkward enough already...I-I'll stop talking now," she finished dejectedly, forcing her teeth together with great effort.

The Queen's hand didn't react quickly enough this time.

"It's quite alright, Anna," she replied through her light laughter. "Besides, this isn't alcoholic. Try it."

Grateful to have an excuse to stop talking, Anna brought the cup to her lips. Her fingers had just registered the mug handle's warmth before hot liquid made contact with her lips.

She brought the cup back down in surprise. But the little of the beverage that had made it into her mouth tasted good, really good. Like...

"Chocolate," Anna breathed.

Elsa nodded. "We've both eaten enough candy for the next week, but I thought you would enjoy this version. It's not common yet; my head cook developed the recipe a few years ago," she explained.

Anna smirked. "Regular chocolate. Frozen chocolate. Hot chocolate? Any more chocolate surprises, Your Majesty?"

The Queen shook her head, a small smile showing on her lips. "I'm all out, I'm afraid. Now, I believe it's your turn to move..."

Anna definitely appreciated the Queen's gift. So much so that she nearly hesitated before continuing to tear her apart. Over the next hour, Anna destroyed the Queen in four brutal games, each nearly as painful as the one before it. Elsa was getting the hang of the game, but the Queen was still an amateur. Anna was a master.

They didn't talk much, each focused intently on their gameplay, but the silence was comfortable.

Taking a look at the position of the sun in the window outside following her final loss, the Queen sighed. "That's enough, it's almost six o'clock, and the servants will be expecting me at dinner. Well done, Anna," Elsa congratulated her.

Concealing her disappointment, she nodded. "Thanks, Your Majesty. I've had a lot of practice." Anna bowed and turned away, ready to return to her room.

"Anna?" said a tentative voice behind her.

The former thief swiveled around. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

Elsa seemed to come to a decision. "Would you care to join me for dinner in my dining room?" she asked. "I can have the servants set a place for you."

Anna wasn't sure she heard that correctly. Dinner with the Queen? Part of her said hell yes! The more rational section of her brain pointed out that it would probably end in unqualified disaster. She hadn't eaten in a formal setting since...she'd never eaten in a formal setting!

Icy blue orbs stared at her expectantly.

"Oh...dinner. Wow! I'm honored, Your Majesty, but I don't think...I mean, I wouldn't want to embarrass you..."

The Queen shook her head. "I don't have any other guests staying in the Castle at present, it would just be you and me. You'll be fine," Elsa assured her. Despite herself, Anna's heart fluttered at the words just you and me. An evening alone with Elsa was tempting. Too tempting.

The redhead nodded. "Thanks, Your Majesty." Elsa smiled slightly, gesturing for Anna to follow her out of the library.

/

Anna's brain refused to believe its surroundings. Was this really happening? A private meal with the Ice Queen of Arendelle? In the Royal Dining Room? Gods, this had been an insane week.

The room was breathtaking. A massive crystal chandelier hung above the table, filled with hundreds of tiny candles that provided more than enough illumination. The floor was covered with a spotless blue and white carpet that somehow appeared to shine in the light. In the middle of the rug was a long, mahogany table lined with over a dozen chairs on each side, each equipped with two large armrests and a black leather cushion and padding. The table was covered by a white tablecloth lined with gold piping, but for the moment was empty.

The servants gave her weird looks (as did the guards outside, before Elsa explained that Anna was her guest,) but other than asking her what she wanted to drink, they said nothing. The Queen, of course, seated herself at the head of the table, and a place for Anna was set in the chair to her immediate right. With the utmost caution, she dragged the seat an inch back and eased herself into it, careful not to scratch the furniture in any way.

Anna asked for water, and the Queen herself requested a glass of white wine.

"Of course. Dinner should be out momentarily, Your Majesty." The servants left the room.

Anna looked at the Queen, not sure what she should say.

"How is your training coming along?" Elsa questioned, sparing the redhead the burden of speaking first.

"Great, Your Majesty! The Arms Master seems happy with how I'm doing; we might progress to actual combat basics in less than two weeks if I keep going at this rate. Of course, I think I have your magic to thank for that," Anna explained.

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "My magic?" she questioned.

Anna nodded. "It helped me recover really fast, and I think it's given me some extra stamina. Does it usually do that?" the redhead asked.

Elsa looked at her with uncertainty. "Honestly, I have no idea. No one's ever mentioned this to me before, but then again, you're the first person other than myself to get two doses of it within the same week. It might be having some effect other than healing. I don't know."

"But you probably heal yourself all the time," Anna pointed out. "And you've never experienced anything like this, right?"

The Queen shrugged. "No," she admitted. "But it's very possible that my powers could work somewhat differently on me than they do other people."

The conversation was interrupted by three servants carrying a large platter of food. Anna's eyes widened as it was placed on the table between them. Breads, fruits, vegetables, soups, and seasonings she'd never seen before filled her vision. Living at the castle for a week had conditioned her somewhat to fancier foods, but the display still impressed her.

Elsa politely thanked the servants as they placed the girls' drinks on the table. They bowed and returned to the kitchens.

Anna unconsciously reached toward a piece of bread before she realized that it was the Queen that was probably supposed to eat first. Just use your common sense, she thought. And do exactly what she does.

Elsa unfolded a large napkin on her right and placed it on her lap. Anna copied her. Once the Queen had placed several items on her plate and began to eat, Anna finally did the same.

Eat slowly. Keep my mouth closed while chewing. She glanced at the Queen's slender fingers and the utensils that they gripped. Fork in left hand, knife in right.

It could have been worse. The redhead wasn't an expert on table manners, but she was confident that she avoided making any big mistakes.

\

Elbows on the table. Terrible posture. Eating an apple with her hands alone. Holding the knife like it's a sword. Did she just eat a plain slice of butter using her fork? Gods, Anna was out of her element. The girl didn't have the slightest clue of what she was doing. Every twenty seconds, something she did would have raised eyebrows at a dinner party, and a few of her actions would have made the entire table stare at her in shock.

Yet it didn't bother Elsa in the slightest. Anna was clearly trying her best. As long as it was only the two of them, there was nothing to worry about. She'd lived her entire life on the streets or in an orphanage; unintentionally bad table manners were certainly understandable. In truth, she found the girl's slip ups to be somewhat entertaining, to say the least. Almost...well...adorable.

The Queen shook her head. Where had that come from? Still, she had to bring up her hand to her mouth to conceal a bout of gentle laughter as Anna proceeded to dunk a large hunk of bread in a bowl of tomato soup and then devour it in one large bite.

\

Halfway through the meal, Anna finally remembered something she'd been meaning to ask the Queen.

"Your spymaster came to see me yesterday," she said.

Elsa nodded. "We were concerned that there might be something you remember that seemed unimportant could be worth knowing. She wasn't too harsh on you, was she?"

Was that really concern in the Queen's voice? "Uh, no, not really. I told her everything I can remember. I did hear two of the men talking right before I jumped on them. A Royal Guard said he had been 'ordered to deliver an ice witch. Maybe that means he was motivated by hatred of your powers? But I don't think she considered anything I said to be useful. I'm sorry, I wish I could help more."

The monarch smiled. "You've been of more than enough help already," she said warmly.

Anna couldn't help but grin at her words. "Have you had any luck, yet, Your Majesty? Finding those responsible, I mean. Surely it wasn't just the three of them?"

For a fraction of a second, Elsa seemed to hesitate. Then an audible sigh erupted from the Queen.

"Technically, this is supposed to be confidential. I trust you, but you can't repeat any of this, understand?" Anna nodded mutely, stunned. Elsa trusted her? A thief who had stolen from a dozen nobles and even tried to rob the Queen herself?

"We do indeed believe that the true mastermind remains out there," Elsa continued, frustration seeping into her voice, "But my advisors and I have no idea who they are or what they want. Thanks to you, we know that they didn't want to kill me, at least immediately, but beyond that..."

"Do you trust your advisors?" Anna asked.

Elsa nodded. "Most of them, anyway. They've been helpful during the last three years, even if several of them have been on my case lately."

Anna's heart lurched uncomfortably. "Are they trying to make you take a husband?" she asked nervously.

The Queen's eyes widened. "No. What makes you think that?" Anna nearly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew her chances with the Queen were nonexistent but her mind didn't seem to want to acknowledge this fact.

"Well...you're not married yet," Anna stated.

Elsa nodded. "Yes. I've noticed this," she replied with a hint of a smirk.

"And you have no immediate heir," Anna continued. "So wouldn't your advisors be worried about the continuation of the royal line? There's not a man in all the kingdoms who wouldn't accept your hand, so I would think the Royal Council would be pressing you to choose one of them."

The Queen's cheeks tinted slightly pink at Anna's seemingly innocent compliment. "Thankfully, that's not something I have to worry about. You are, of course, aware of the Kingdom of Corona?"

"Of course," Anna agreed. Corona had been Arendelle's closest ally for centuries; their pact prevented any nation from threatening either kingdom. Even she was aware of this.

"The royal lines of Corona and Arendelle have been intertwined for generations. Two hundred years ago, a Prince of Arendelle married the Coronan Crown Princess of the time, and their bloodline has endured in both countries. More recently, my father married the sister of Corona's current Queen," Elsa explained.

"Wouldn't that make them cousins or something?"

The Queen chuckled. "Distant ones, but yes. There have been far more interesting pairings than that among royalty in the past, I assure you. In any event, Arendelle and Corona have never united fully; the distance between them would make a centralization of power nearly impossible. But politically, militarily, and economically, no two countries are as close as ours. In the event of my death, the second eldest child of the Coronan royal family would become ruler of Arendelle, while the Crown Prince would remain in Corona. Such an event actually happened eighty years ago, and the people accepted it without much trouble. The bond between our nations made the transition perfectly feasible, and it could do so again today."

"Who is the heir now?" Anna asked, fighting the smile that threatened to break out. It was a struggle not to allow her misguided but stubborn relief that Elsa wasn't looking for a husband to show itself.

"My cousin, Rapunzel. Second in line to Corona's throne, she was missing nearly her entire life, but five years ago she...well, it's an incredible tale. Even with the magic at my fingertips, I found it hard to believe. I thought my powers were strange, but..."

"Your cousin has magic too?" Anna interrupted. Her face boiled red as she realized she had cut off the monarch in her own dining room. "Sorry, Your Majesty, I..."

"It's fine," Elsa said. "Rapunzel did indeed have magic once, but it was nothing like mine. It came from a flower, and..."

For the next half hour, Anna was utterly enraptured as Elsa told her the story of Corona's long lost Princess. Kidnappings, bar fights, magic...and sacrifice. The words seemed to roll off Elsa's tongue. It would have been a struggle to avoid zoning out and simply stare at the Queen's beautiful face the entire time, but the story was so engrossing that Anna was able to maintain focus throughout.

"So she lost her powers in the end?" the redhead finally asked.

The Queen nodded. "It had been Flynn's only option. She wasn't happy about her hair losing its magic, but saving both of their lives and reuniting with her family made it more than worth it, according to her."

"Do you see her much?"

Elsa's eyes fell to the table. "Not as often as I would like. They're the only family I have left, but…" she stopped. For a fleeting moment, Anna saw the Queen's eyes fill with pain.

"Her brother is the Crown Prince of Corona, but she's still kept almost as busy as I am," the monarch continued. "And given that it takes a week to travel between the kingdoms by sea, I only see my extended family around once a year. Still, it's nice when it happens. Plus, my cousin is only other person I knew who didn't fear my magic in the slightest, probably because she'd once had powers herself, so spending time with her is always a welcome change of pace."

Her story complete and both of them having stopped eating long ago, the Queen grabbed a small bell from the table and rang it. Almost instantly, the servants reentered. "My companion and I are finished. Thank you," Elsa said. Anna watched as the castle staff members cleaned up the table at nearly blinding speed, somehow avoiding spilling a single drop. With a gentle wave of the Queen's hand, they were dismissed.

Elsa finally rose out of her chair, and Anna copied her movement. "Thank you, Your Majesty," she said to the Queen, bowing low. She awaited her own dismissal.

The Queen looked at her curiously. "You're welcome, Anna. But before you go..." she hesitated.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Elsa sighed. "You say my powers seemed to have a persistent effect after they were used on you a second time within the last seven days. I wonder what would happen if I healed you again? Plus, you might not have any bruises, but I'm sure you're muscles are still sore. If you're willing to let me use my power on you again..."

Was the Queen really offering…?

Willing? Of course she was willing! Elsa's magic had allowed her to recover overnight. And if it really did have other effects, all the better.

"I'd love that, Your Majesty. I-I mean...you're...that...sounds wonderful," she stammered hopelessly.

The Queen nodded, walking towards her. "Hold still," she said, lightly grasping Anna's hand. The contact made her skin tingle even before the magic started.

The redhead breathed deeply as a familiar sensation of cold spread through her body. She could literally feel her aches and pains melting away. Ice seemed to penetrate her entire being, expelling her soreness into the air.

"Better?" Elsa smiled, withdrawing her hand. Words failed her, but Anna managed a nod.

"Keep this to yourself," the Queen advised, "Or my generals will be hounding after me. It's my policy not to use my healing abilities except for major injuries."

Then why are you doing this for me? she thought. Surely there were others who would be happy to assist the Queen in her...research.

"Of course, Your Majesty. And if you ever want to lose...I mean, checkers again...?" Anna trailed off. Gods, when would she learn to keep her mouth shut? Asking the Queen once had been pushing her luck. Again requesting the Queen's time was going too far.

Elsa smiled softly. "I think I've had enough checkers for one week." Anna could only nod. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

"But if you want to play Chess, I'd be happy to meet with you tomorrow," the Queen offered.

Anna stared at her, stunned. "I don't know how to play..." she murmured.

"I'll teach you," Elsa offered. A hint of a smirk appeared on her lips, and Anna suddenly had a feeling that the monarch was looking forward to having the tables turned.

Anna knew the smart thing would be to say no. More time with the Queen meant more of a chance for her...attraction...to slip out. But the redhead had never been known for her logical decisions.

"Sure!" Anna finally replied.

"Excellent. I expect you in the library at the same time tomorrow. I certainly am interested to see what daily healings can do for a person. Good night, Anna."

"To you as well, Your Majesty." Sensing her dismissal, Anna bowed and left the room. She could hardly believe it. Another appointment with the Ice Queen. Anna knew she should be worried, but the only emotion she could muster was excitement.

Ten steps away from the dining hall, her mind finally registered Elsa's words.

Daily healings?


	7. Chapter 7

Over the next ten days, Anna learned two basic facts. When it came to training and conditioning, she was good. When it came to chess, she was really really bad.

The first night, the Queen had spent the better part of an hour simply showing her how the pieces moved and telling her the rules of the game. That came easily enough to the redhead, but when they actually played, Elsa had her beaten within five moves. The game was just so foreign to her, and the monarch was clearly a master.

Elsa again invited her to dinner, and again Anna followed her heart over her head and accepted. For some reason the redhead couldn't fathom, the Queen seemed to enjoy her company, and Anna...well...Anna couldn't get enough of her.

It grew harder every day to conceal her attraction. The more time she spent with the Queen, the more Anna admired her. She was elegant, confident, and, well, Queenly, but as Elsa slowly opened up to her, Anna could see her inner kindheartedness show itself underneath her regal mask.

The two women settled into a routine of sorts. Over the next week, they spent an hour or so together in the library most days, with either Elsa getting destroyed at checkers or Anna completely embarrassing herself when they played Chess. The Queen would invite her to dinner, Anna would accept, and afterwards she would receive a helping of the Queen's magic.

Without a doubt, it was the most enjoyable week of Anna's life.

That wasn't to say that their time together was never stressful. By the third night, Elsa failed to conceal one too many giggles, and Anna realized that she'd been making a fool of herself at the dinner table.

"I'm terrible, aren't I?" Anna said to the Queen.

With visible effort, Elsa cut off her laughter. "You're not..." she stopped. Evidently, the look on Anna's face told her that her lie wouldn't be believed. "Well...perhaps," the Queen admitted. "But it's fine. I understand you're out of your element. Don't worry about it," the monarch assured her gently.

Anna's eyes fell to the table, looking anywhere but at the Queen.

"If you want," Elsa offered, "I have a book from when I was little on table etiquette. My parents practically made me memorize it. A quick read through it might be helpful."

Anna brightened instantly. "Of course, Your Majesty. I'll look at it tonight."

It hadn't been easy. There were countless rules and protocols in place that Anna could never have imagined. The book had been written for young children, but Anna found it difficult to be insulted when she could barely memorize all that she went over. Still, she took in a lot over the next few days, and the decreasing amount of times the Queen brought her hand up to her mouth during dinner told Anna that she was improving.

Her training with Drell was another matter entirely. By the end of the first week, she could jog for miles without rest, and lift twice as much weight as when they had begun. Her muscles had barely grown, but they had hardened at an almost astonishing rate.

The Arms Master seemed amazed with her progress, and Anna found it difficult to not mention the fact that she was cheating. Even on the nights when she had conferences with her councilors and couldn't meet her in the library, the Queen had Anna visit her study and receive a dose of her magic.

The effects were becoming apparent now. Any pain or soreness she might have been feeling was washed away by the Queen's powers, but that was only the start of it. The magic seemed to amplify the effect that the exercise had on her body. Her muscles recovered overnight and returned significantly harder than they had been the previous morning. Her body was filled with energy; Anna could run at nearly top speed for thirty seconds, something she knew only the most experienced of runners were able to accomplish. And while it might have just been her imagination, her body seemed slightly stronger and faster than before, even accounting for the beneficial effects that the conditioning was likely having.

"You're not frightened?" the Queen asked her eight days after they'd started.

Anna shrugged. "Your Majesty, I feel great. Better than I ever have! Why would I be afraid?"

Elsa frowned. "We're pushing the boundaries of my powers here, and you're the...test subject. Something could go wrong. The magic could have negative effects if used on you too often."

The Queen's palpable concern for her wellbeing made Anna grin widely, but the last thing she wanted was for their 'experiment' to stop. "I'll be fine, Your Majesty. If anything starts feeling wrong, I'll tell you immediately. But for now, there's no reason to stop."

Anna held out her hand, and the Elsa wordlessly took it. The redhead sighed contently as ice once again seemed to flow through her body.

"Is Drell suspicious?" the Queen asked after it was done.

Anna shook her head. "No. But I can tell he's pleased to have such a 'gifted' pupil. I hate letting him think I'm some sort of prodigy."

Elsa grasped her by the shoulders. The redhead resisted jumping in surprise, hoping the blush on her face from the Queen's contact wasn't too noticeable. "Drell was impressed with you before we truly started this. You're still putting in the work; my magic is just giving you some extra assistance."

Anna had a feeling that her magic was doing a lot more than that, but she didn't contradict the monarch.

"I understand why you feel guilty about not telling him, but this has to stay between us. It's my official policy not to heal anything less than major injuries, and if word got out, the requests for my magic would consume my life," Elsa ordered her.

The redhead nodded vigorously, jiggling her braids up and down.

The Queen suddenly looked at her curiously. "Do you dye your hair, Anna?" she asked.

She frowned. "No. Why?"

Elsa reached out and gently took hold of Anna's right braid, examining it. "It looks almost like there's a blond streak under the red. Do you see it?"

What? Anna usually didn't have much of an opportunity to look at herself in a mirror, but she'd never noticed a differently colored streak in her hair. Nevertheless, when her eyes followed the Queen's fingers, she could indeed see a streak of her hair was considerably lighter than the rest.

"I-I don't…"

"Maybe it's nothing," Elsa suggested. "But keep an eye on it. My magic could be…I don't know."

Anna's eyes narrowed. The Queen's powers giving her a blond streak? It seemed ridiculous, but then again, it was magic.

/

"How fast?" Anna questioned. She'd just completed her fourth lap of the Castle's largest courtyard, a distance that almost equated to one mile.

Drell looked at a nearby sundial. "Five minutes, thirty seconds." Anna stared at him; her time yesterday had been forty-five seconds longer. Her first run had been over nine minutes.

"Impressive. You're ready for the next step. Tomorrow we'll move onto real combat techniques. I think your body is conditioned enough."

He didn't say it, but Anna knew he was surprised. She wasn't an expert, but such rapid improvement was probably unheard of. Per the Queen's command, however she said nothing.

Drell dismissed her for the day, and the redhead made her way to her rooms. The run had exhausted her, but by the time she was halfway back to the Upper Wing, most of her energy seemed to have returned. Even for athletes, that wasn't supposed to happen.

Magic or not, she couldn't wait to move onto the real training. With the Queen's 'help', she could become an expert in no time.

Anna's heart nearly stopped at the thought. Once her training was done, she'd been on her way. No more velvet sheets or fancy dinners or meetings with the Queen for her. Anna sighed; she'd have to enjoy it while it lasted.

It was to her dismay therefore, when she found a royal messenger awaiting her in front of her chambers in the Upper Wing. "The Queen sends her apologies. She had forgotten that tonight the Prince of Westphalia would be arriving tonight at the head of a large delegation. They will be conducting trade negotiations..."

Anna tuned out the rest of his words, knowing what they would be. Elsa might be willing to tolerate her mistakes, but the last place the Queen would want her was near visiting royalty.

The redhead nodded, and the messenger left. Well, no magic for her tonight. Hopefully what she'd received the previous night would last through the next day. Neither women had any idea if the benefits Anna was receiving from the Queen's powers were permanent or required a constant flow of magic.

/

After having a meal brought to her rooms, Anna decided to roam the Castle for a bit. The building was massive, and even though Anna had spent several nights going through its halls, she hadn't quite seen all of it.

A few hours into her journeying, she walked into the Royal Gallery. Pushing through a large wooden door and shutting it behind her, Anna stared down the long corridor. The room was well lit by a large row of candles along the walls, and Anna could easily perceive generations of Elsa's ancestors staring down at her from large, detailed portraits. At the end of the hall was a large door identical to the one she'd just walked through; a narrow red and green carpet spanned the space between the two entrances. Anna walked down it, stopping at what she presumed to be the most recent painting. It was a picture of a smiling man and woman, sitting in a large bedroom but dressed in royal attire. A young girl with bright blond hair and arctic blue eyes sat between them, a massive grin on her face.

Elsa and her parents.

Anna felt a double pang as she observed the portrait. It had quickly become apparent to the redhead that Elsa's parents were a touchy subject for the Queen. They'd been dead for five years, but Anna could tell that their loss still affected the monarch terribly.

At the same time, Anna was reminded of her own parents, or her lack of them. There was no one to miss, but their absence had left a palpable void in her life growing up.

Why didn't they want me? Was I too difficult even then, or were they simply too poor to care for a child and wanted to give me a better life?

Anna wondered which was more painful. To have known one's parents and then had them taken from you, or to have never met them at all.

The redhead sighed. She'd had enough of exploring for one night. Besides, without Elsa's magic, she'd have to rely on a hot bath to soothe her aching muscles tonight. Head lowered toward the floor, Anna started back the way she'd come. So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that the redhead didn't hear the door behind her opening at the other end of the gallery.

"Late night for a stroll, isn't it?" said a cultured voice behind her. Anna turned to see a man who looked to be a few years older than Elsa walking towards her. He wore a blue suit and dark brown pants, upon which rested a belt that held a ceremonial sword. Pitch black hair sat atop his head and formed a light beard on his chin. Adorned on his jacket were several various medals, many of which displayed the seal of Westphalia. A large jeweled ring on his right hand marked him as royalty.

The prince.

Anna lowered herself into a hasty bow. "Your Maj...I-I mean Your Highness," she said.

The man smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Yes. I've been looking for a maid for ten minutes now. I would like two bottles of Perro Grigio delivered to my room."

Something was wrong. Why was he here, so far from his quarters in the Guest Wing? And he could have just rung the bell that he doubtlessly would have been given, the Castle servants always seemed to arrive within seconds of being called.

"Sorry, Your Highness, but I'm not a maid," Anna explained. "I'm sure you could find one in the Guest Wing."

The prince's eyes seemed to roam up and down her body in a way that made her feel decidedly uncomfortable. "A shame. You're a guest of the Castle, then? Perhaps you'd like to join me in my room for a drink?"

Anna's shock that a royal was propositioning her for drinks was matched only by her revulsion at the thought of accepting his offer.

"No thank you, Your Highness. I have to be sober for training tomorrow," she said, although in truth the need for sobriety was the smallest reason the redhead didn't want to 'join him for a drink'.

The man's smile began to morph into a scowl. He took two steps towards her, close enough for Anna to smell the alcohol already on his breath. She stepped back reflexively.

"I insist," he said, harsher this time. His eyes were trained on her face.

Anna stared back at him. "My answer is no,Your Highness."

The prince took another step closer, and this time Anna refused to back away. "Remember who you're talking to," he nearly hissed. "I'd reconsider if I were you."

Anna resisted the urge to scoff at him. Prince or not, he wasn't entitled to force a woman into his bed.

"Goodnight," she said curtly. The redhead turned around and headed for the door.

A hand roughly grabbed her wrist. Anna scarcely had time to react before she was thrown into the wall. The prince was on her then, his wrists pressing her arms against the wood.

"This will either be a pleasant experience or the worst night of your life," he said, all pretensions of chivalry gone. "Scream or tell anyone and I'll claim you attacked me." His fingers reached for the edges of her tunic.

Panic welled up inside her. Part of her mind refused to accept that a Prince actually intended to violate her, here and now. It was straight out of a nightmare.

The more levelheaded section of her brain registered two things. One was that the Royal Gallery would be deserted this time of night; it was unlikely that guards or anyone else would be nearby.

The second was that she was never going to let a man rape her, Prince or otherwise, when there was still breath in her body.

"Fuck you!" Anna screamed. Her arms were pinned, but that didn't eliminate all her options. She slammed her forehead into the Prince's face, and his nose erupted with blood. She heard a crack and relished the sound.

Anna's head throbbed, but she could worry about that later. Her attacker's grip on her arms weakened, and she wrenched her limbs free. Roaring with rage, the Prince brought his fist back and pounded it into her ribs.

Pain erupted where he made contact, but the force of the blow seemed muted somehow. It still hurt like hell, but not enough to stop Anna from bringing her own fist forward in a lightning fast left hook that hit him just below the left eye.

As her enemy stumbled back, Anna capitalized on the moment. Her knee came forward and hit the Prince hard in the stomach.

He grunted, falling back into the opposite wall. Anna followed him. Seizing her chance, she lunged forward and grabbed the sword hilt on his belt. Pulling the weapon free, she raised the blade and leveled it to his neck just as he recovered.

They stood there for five seconds, staring at each other. Anna's eyes filled with both rage and triumph, and his now shined with undiluted fear. Suddenly, they veered away from her, looking towards the gallery's open door.

"What is going on here!" shouted a familiar voice.

Queen Elsa stood in the open entrance, face alight with fury. She looked angrier than Anna had ever seen her.

"Thank goodness, Your Majesty! This woman is assaulting me!" the Prince called as he cowered under her swordpoint.

"You tried to rape me!" Anna shouted.

"Liar," the Prince hissed. "I was walking through the gallery when this woman confronted me, Your Majesty. She demanded my ring of office-" he indicated the jewelry on his finger -"And when I refused she attacked me. She assaulted my face before I could react and grabbed my sword! If you hadn't arrived when you did-"

Elsa stood frozen still for three seconds. Then she turned to Anna. There wasn't the slightest hint of warmth or doubt on her face. "Put the sword down!" the monarch shouted. Anna did so, backing away from the Prince.

"How dare you?" the Queen demanded. "I let you stay here, and in return you try to rob a visiting royal?"

Anna's heart plummeted. Surely the Queen wasn't just going to accept his word without hearing her out? "No! He's lying, he demanded that I accompany him back to his rooms and when I didn't he attacked me!"

"Then how do you explain this?" the Prince demanded, touching his fingers to both the blood rolling from his nose and his blackening eye.

Anna finally realized how this must look. All the visible injuries were his, and it was she who had held a sword to his neck. The Prince's story was far more credible than her own and, luckily for him, he'd accused her of something Elsa was well aware she had done before in the past.

It looks like I took an opportunity to steal something incredibly valuable from a royal and flee the Castle with a ruby large enough to set me up for life.

"Your Majesty, please," Anna begged. "I know how this looks, but you know I would never..."

"Enough," the Queen cut her off. "I thought-I can't believe..." Elsa's expression hardened.

"Tomorrow, you are going to face judgment for this...this betrayal," the Queen promised.

The Prince smiled at the look of horror on Anna's face. "I would be happy to escort her to the dungeons myself, Your Majesty," he offered. "There's no point in making a scene by fetching the guards and possibly alerting the entire Castle as to what happened. These negotiations are too important to be disrupted by garbage like her."

The Queen shook her head. "Thank you, Your Highness, but that won't be necessary." With a curt wave of her hand, two figures made of pure ice materialized out of thin air. They were large, each seven feet tall and at least eighteen inches wide. Harsh cold emanated from their bodies, and blades of wicked ice were clutched in their hands.

Anna hadn't seen this trick before.

"Get her out of my sight," Elsa ordered harshly. The soldiers seized her by the arms.

"Your Majesty!" Anna protested. The Queen stared at her as she was dragged away, her expression one of both anger and disappointment. Small tears glinted in the monarch's eyes.

"I'd come to believe you were more than you appeared to be, Anna. I thought you could be trusted," the Queen revealed. Her voice radiated sadness and betrayal.

"But I was wrong."

Anna could do nothing but tear up and shout incoherently as the Ice Soldiers hauled her out of the gallery.


	8. Chapter 8

Anna was initially confused as to why her icy captors were escorting toward the Upper Wing instead of the dungeons, but she soon realized Elsa's reasoning. Neither royal wanted the incident to disrupt their negotiations, and that meant keeping it a secret from the other dignitaries. If she was placed in a cell below, the guards would soon be talking. But if she were sequestered in her quarters, no one would be the wiser.

Sure enough, the Ice Soldiers dragged her to the doors of her chambers, forced her inside, and shut the door behind her. By the sound of their footsteps outside, Anna could tell that they took up positions in front of her door.

How could the Queen have believed the Prince over her so easily? Yes, he was royalty and she was not. Yes, she'd been the one with a sword to his neck. But Anna was still shocked that Elsa hadn't even considered her side of the story. Didn't the time they'd spent together mean anything? And even if it didn't, surely her rescue of the Queen warranted her some consideration.

Or maybe it doesn't. Your story was always a bit suspect; the Queen may have given you the benefit of the doubt before, but now she probably thinks you were in on the kidnapping! Yeah, you rescued her, but that could have been staged as part of a plot to earn her trust.

What was going to happen to her tomorrow? Anna had a feeling the punishment for striking a foreign royal wasn't going to be merciful.

Suddenly, a ray of hope struck her. The icy guards outside may be blocking the door, but the window was wide open. It would be easy for Anna to climb down and...

Her despair was redoubled when her eyes fully took in the window. It was frozen shut. Literally. A layer of ice coated the glass. Elsa had thought ahead, and apparently her powers worked at a distance.

Anna grabbed a book from the table and desperately slammed it against the ice. Not so much as a crack. She brought it down again and again, but the frost didn't even flinch. Changing tactics, she brought a still burning candle up to the ice, but no moisture appeared even after thirty minutes.

This wasn't ordinary ice. It was stronger than steel bars.

Angrily, Anna kicked the book on the ground and sent it violently crashing into her dresser. If there indeed were gods, they certainly delighted in torturing her. After years of misery, they give her two weeks of good luck, and then...this. Anna should have known her good fortune couldn't last.

Anna's fury slowly gave way to sadness. Her dream of becoming a swordmaster was gone. Her time spent living in the castle was over. And worst of all, the woman of her dreams now considered her to be worse than garbage.

Lacking the energy to either change out of her clothes or uncover she sheets, the redhead simply flopped herself onto the bed and cried softly into the sheets.

/

Elsa stood at the docks of the Royal City, staring at the Prince's ship as it rode across the waves. Despite what had happened the previous night, their negotiations had been completed on schedule.

The previous night...The thought made the Queen's blood boil. Anna had been responsible for her rescue. She'd shown nothing but humility and gratitude as she lodged in the Castle, and Elsa had garnered considerable enjoyment by spending time with her. Despite (or perhaps because) the girl was so causal and unrefined, her very presence had served to lighten the monarch's moods.

Seeing her with a sword pressed against the Prince's throat had filled the Queen with a shock and anger she'd never before experienced.

How could I have been so blind?

In a rare moment of rage, the Queen summoned a blast of ice from her fingertips. The magic impacted the ocean and instantly turned a fifty foot patch of water into solid ice. Turning away from the damage, she began her journey towards the castle.

It was time to confront Anna.

\

After a night of absolutely zero sleep, Anna spent the morning and the first part of the afternoon resuming her efforts to break the window, more to relieve her frustration than out of a genuine hope of escape.

"Screw her!" Anna slammed the ice. "Screw him!" she brought the book down again. "And screw my entire damn fucking life!" the redhead shouted at the top of her lungs, hitting the window so hard with her instrument that the book literally split in two, pages flying in all directions.

The sound of light footsteps in the hallway caught Anna's attention. In an instant, the shadows cast by Anna's icy wardens disappeared from the crack under the door. Keeping her gaze locked on the window, Anna's heart pounded uncontrollably as she awaited her visitor.

The door creaked open, and the footsteps entered the room.

"Anna," said the Queen's voice.

The redhead couldn't bring herself to turn around. "How could you?" she demanded, tears threatening to explode onto her face. "How could you just believe him? I-I-I know I had a sword to his neck, but I was only defending myself...!"

"Anna," the Queen said again, but the redhead didn't stop.

"He was going to rape me! What the hell else should I have done? Why would I try to...?" she couldn't manage any more. The Queen wasn't going to buy her story no matter what she said. Anna fell to her knees, covering her face in her hands.

"Just kill me now," she said softly. The Queen's powers could end her instantly. Better than living with this emotional torment for a few more days before being subjected to a public hanging.

Instead of a fatal blast of ice, Anna felt Elsa's cool fingers lightly grasp her arms.

"Anna, I know you're telling the truth. I never believed him," the Queen whispered in her ear. "I-."

In a flash, Anna stood up and turned around. "W-what?!" she demanded. "B-but then, why did you...?"

Elsa's eyes fell to the floor. "I have to keep up relations with Westphalia; trade with them is too important to our people. Confronting him openly would have..." she trailed off, icy blue pupils rising up to meet her own. "Anna, I am so, so sorry for making you go through that. I understand if you can't forgive me..."

For a moment, Anna forgot that the woman standing in front of her was a Queen. Fueled by relief, her arms lurched forward and wrapped themselves around Elsa, hugging her tightly. Her relief should have been coming from the fact that her training wasn't going to be over or that she wasn't being executed, but Anna's only concern at the moment was that the woman in front of her didn't hate her.

The Queen stiffened for a moment, but her own arms tentatively came forward and wrapped themselves around Anna. It was only then that the redhead realized she was manhandling Arendelle's monarch.

Hastily, Anna stepped back, but she was still too happy to babble an apology. Besides, the Queen didn't look upset, although she was clearly flustered.

Part of Anna wondered if she should be angry. But the redhead couldn't bring herself to blame Elsa for her actions. The Queen had been doing what was best for Arendelle, and in the end, no harm had been done. A single night of suffering for Anna nothing in comparison to the kingdom's well-being, and the redhead had certainly survived worse. The only emotion Anna could muster was relief.

"H-How did you know I was telling the truth?" Anna finally managed to ask.

"Prince Alec of Westphalia has long been rumored to be very...forward with women," Elsa revealed.

"Just rumors, though? I mean, I had a sword to his neck," Anna pointed out.

"There's also the fact that you saved my life and haven't tried to rob anything from the Castle since you've arrived," the Queen pointed out.

"But you don't know that. Maybe I'm just too good of a thief to have been caught. Or maybe my rescuing you was part of an elaborate plan..."

Elsa grabbed her by the shoulders, cutting her off. "You're my friend, Anna," she said firmly. "I trust you."

Anna nearly feinted. She couldn't have heard that right. Queens made friends among the nobility, not with...peasants and thieves such as her, even if they did commit a heroic act.

"Your Majesty, I-"

For once, Anna had no idea what to say. As her adrenaline wore off, exhaustion began to cloud her mind.

\

Elsa was nearly as surprised as Anna was as the word left her mouth. Friend. When was the last time she'd had one of those? If her parents didn't count, then...

Maybe the Queen didn't know what that word meant. But she knew it applied to Anna. The woman who had risked her life rescued her from a terrible fate, who loved and accepted her magic, and was willing to move past something that many would consider unforgiveable. If she wasn't a friend, there was no such thing.

"You're not upset with me?" the Queen finally asked. Anna had been attacked and nearly violated by the prince, and not only had Elsa let him go scot-free, the monarch had let the redhead believe that she was going to be the one held responsible.

Anna sighed, but she shook her head. "I'm not going to pretend that was easy to go through, but you have to put the kingdom first. A few hours of fear for me is an easy price to pay in exchange for Arendelle's prosperity."

Elsa nodded. Warm relief sweeping through her, but she couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you angry that I didn't punish him? I mean, I know he didn't manage to...but he still attacked you and will suffer no consequences for it."

"I am angry that he's getting away with it, but I don't blame you, Your Majesty. What could you have done, started a war with Westphalia? Besides, I did get a few good punches in," Anna smiled slightly.

This woman really was something else. The Queen had never met someone so...forgiving.

"But why did you freeze my window shut?" Anna asked, jolting Elsa back to reality.

The Queen frowned. "I couldn't have you running off into the night, now could I? I'd never have found you again, and you would have lived the rest of your life thinking you were a fugitive," she explained.

Anna nodded, seemingly beginning to recover from her shock. "How did you find me, anyway? What were you doing near the gallery?"

Elsa considered the question, debating to herself how much to tell the redhead. "Let's sit down," she suggested.

The two women settled themselves into the soft red-orange cushioning of two of the room's armchairs, and the Queen began her story.

She was sitting in her study around ten in the morning when Kai knocked on her door, as he always did, to go over her schedule for the day ahead. In truth, his presence today was probably unnecessary; the Queen was already aware of the series of meetings that would consume her morning and afternoon. Thankfully, she had something to look forward to this evening...

"Enter!" she called, and Kai stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," he said with a bow.

Elsa smiled brightly to him. "Good morning yourself, Kai. Anything important I should know about today?"

The head servant looked at her curiously. Perhaps he was unused to her warmer than usual demeanor, but lately the Queen had found herself in a good mood.

Kai nodded. "I would like to discuss the Prince who is arriving tonight," he said.

A prince. What prince? Then she remembered. The third in line to the throne of Westphalia was due to arrive tonight to renew their trade agreements. Arendelle's economy benefited greatly from their exports to the southern nation, and it was vital that their meeting was a success.

How had she forgotten about...? No matter. With a sigh, she realized her evening with Anna was off.

"Of course. But first, I need a moment, Kai," she said, and he nodded. Elsa rose out of her chair and left the study, then summoned a servant and instructed him to relay a message to the redhead when she returned from her training. That taken care of, she returned to her office and reseated herself.

"What did you want to discuss?" she asked the man in front of her, no longer in such a good mood.

Kai frowned. "I know nothing for certain, Your Majesty, but Prince Alec has...well...a dubious reputation. Nothing has ever been concrete, perhaps due to his father's ailing health and dwindling mental capacity, but there have been several nasty rumors following him for some time. People whisper of alleged incidents, both in his own castle and during his visits to other lands. Servant girls who attended to him have been seen with bruises and appeared traumatized after his departure, though they would never say why. Nothing has ever been proven, of course, and all involved have kept near complete silence."

Elsa knew what he was implying. The Queen disliked giving credence to rumors, but she felt it better to be safe than sorry. With the power at his command, it was certainly possible for him to have assaulted serving girls and covered it up with threats and intimidation...

"It could very well be nothing," Elsa began, "But we will not take chances. Call a meeting of the female servants and warn them not to go about their work alone tonight. And make sure anyone assigned to his room is male," she ordered.

\

The next few hours passed slowly. At four, Elsa accompanied a group of Royal Guards to the docks to welcome the prince to Arendelle, her mind thinking of where she would rather be. Alec himself seemed pleasant enough, and dinner went by without a hitch...mostly. Elsa had thought she noticed him making several leering glances at her throughout the evening, which seemed to increase in length with the more alcohol he consumed. Although given that her ice dress was a sight that often attracted interested eyes for purely innocent reasons, as well as the possibility that it was her imagination acting up given what she'd been told earlier, the Queen paid his gaze little concern. Guards or no guards, he could pose no threat to her.

The Westphalian delegation agreed to finish negotiations in the morning; by the time dinner ended it was well after eight. The Queen had a group of servants show them to their rooms, but she couldn't help but notice a flash of distaste on his face when he realized all of his attendants were male. Before they could show him to his quarters, he announced his intentions to take a private walk around her beautiful castle. There was nothing she could do; it wouldn't be productive to relations with Westphalia to forbid its prince freedom of movement within her castle, and the servants had been warned to not wander the halls alone.

Elsa bid him goodnight and began her walk towards her private chambers in the Royal Wing. It wasn't until she was halfway to her destination that she remembered that Anna hadn't received her daily dose of magic...

The Queen froze in her tracks. Anna. Gods, how hadn't she thought of this before? Elsa had insured that the servants would be fine, but had forgotten to warn...

Her horror mounted. Whenever the redhead wasn't meeting with her or training, she seemed to be exploring. Anna would almost certainly be wandering the Castle around this time. There was every chance that she could encounter the Prince in some empty corridor. If Alec was as lecherous as he was suspected to me, and he encountered the most beautiful woman in the Castle alone while drunk...

Elsa hurried to Anna's rooms. To her dismay but not her surprise, they were empty. Part of her said that there was nothing to worry about; Alec's reputation was only founded on unconfirmed rumors, and Anna probably would never even see him. Although the redhead did appear to have a tendency to attract trouble...

The Queen couldn't bear leaving the matter to chance. For the next twenty minutes, she wandered through the Castle hallways, searching for any sign of Anna or Alec. But she didn't have any luck until it was too late.

She was near the Royal Gallery when she heard a shout in unmistakably Anna's voice.

"Fuck you!"

Panic seized the monarch, and she found herself running towards the sound. What if she was already too late? Her heart pounded.

Elsa rushed through the open door of the gallery to see Alec pressed against the wall at bladepoint. Anna stood facing him, fury in her eyes. The prince immediately claimed that the redhead had been robbing him.

It took the Queen about five seconds to piece together what had really happened.

For a brief moment, her mind wondered if he was telling the truth. But his story simply didn't make sense. Anna had once chosen to only steal three coins from an entire bag. She'd rescued Elsa at great risk to her own life. The woman she had gotten to know over the past week would never have betrayed the Queen's hospitality like this. There was only one explanation.

Alec had tried to force himself on Anna. The redhead, unsurprisingly, hadn't given up without a fight to the death. Judging by the Prince's blackening eye and bloody nose, Anna had caught him off guard, stunned him, and grabbed his weapon.

Relief at Anna's safety flooded though her, but it immediately gave way to awesome rage. Never before had the Queen desired to murder someone, but she did so now. It would be so easy...an icicle through his heart. But maybe that would be too quick. The monarch didn't care that he was already subdued, she wanted to tear his body to shreds.

Only the thought of how this would harm her kingdom stayed her hand. With the greatest effort it had ever cost her, Elsa suppressed her magic. She couldn't kill him. She couldn't even confront him, not when their negotiations weren't concluded.

With a sickening combination of horror and dread, Elsa realized what she was going to have to do. Not only would she have to resist expressing her rage on the Prince, she would have to turn her anger on Anna.

So she did. Elsa hated herself for it, but she made one of the most painful decisions of her life. It was easy to appear angry, she was furious, just not at the one she pretended to be.

But although she had no choice to put Anna through her wrath, that didn't mean she wasn't going to make it as painless for the redhead as possible. Obviously, Alec's offer to escort her to the dungeons was out of the question.

Elsa wasn't even going to have her sent to the dungeons at all. She had her Ice Soldiers take the redhead to her quarters. Not only would they provide her with some comfort and keep her safe from the prince, but they would also allow Elsa to keep this incident a secret. Guards patrolled the dungeons, but if she was lucky than Anna would only pass the guards stationed in the Upper Wing, and Elsa could easily single them out and command them to be quiet.

Anna had won over many of the servants with her friendly attitude, according to Kai, but she still almost certainly received dirty looks from some of the higher officials. The last thing the monarch wanted was to give the castle a reason to turn against the former thief.

Still, she had to make it convincing. If Alec thought there was a chance that Anna would be believed, he might protest Elsa alone handling her 'discipline', and that would make things difficult. So even though it killed her inside, she made utterly sure that Anna thought the Queen was against her. The redhead's horrified reaction brought tears to Elsa's eyes, but it doubtlessly convinced Alec that he had nothing to worry about.

The morning had been one of the most stressful of her life. She knew Anna wasn't going anywhere; her magic made sure of that, but it still killed Elsa to know that the redhead was probably sitting in her room in anguish. This was coupled by the crazed fury she felt whenever she looked at the prince, something she had to do a lot during their final negotiations. Elsa had only made it through the morning by continuously replaying an image in her mind of Alec being frozen from the inside out by her powers.

It had taken every ounce of self-restraint she possessed to not send an ice storm after Alec's ship.

With a few select omissions, the Queen relayed the story to Anna.

"He had to believe it," Elsa finished.

Anna nodded. "You certainly were convincing. I was terrified," she admitted.

Elsa bit her lip, guilt threatening to overcome her. "I notified Drell that you were ill. He was surprised you would miss the first day of sword training, judging by how excited you were, so he certainly won't be accusing you of fabricating your sickness. Any guards who saw you being taken here have been sworn to silence."

Anna grinned. "Thanks, Your Majesty. That's going to make my life a lot easier."

"I'm the last person you should be thanking, Anna," the Queen said solemnly.

The girl yawned widely. "You did what was best for Arendelle, and went out of your way to make it as easy for me as you could. Speaking of which, I didn't know your magic could actually create life!"

Elsa frowned. Anna was certainly an abnormality, but the Queen was grateful that the redhead didn't hold a grudge. Taking the easy way out, she took the opportunity that Anna had given her to change the subject.

"They're only half-alive," Elsa explained. "And they fade away after a few days. They obey my thoughts, but they don't think on their own. Obviously, they can't be used as guards, but on a battlefield they would be very effective, although I hope I never have to find out."

Talking about her magic reminded the Queen about their healing sessions. Suddenly, a possibility that should have occurred to her before reared its head.

"You're not hurt, are you Anna? I know you fought him off, but did he manage to strike back?" she asked nervously.

Anna shrugged. "He punched me in the ribs, but it didn't hurt much. The pain's gone now."

Elsa stared at her. "He punched you in the ribs?"

Anna nodded. "But I'm fine, Your Majesty," she assured her, yawning again.

"I wonder if...in any event, you're overdue," Elsa said. She grabbed Anna's hand and let the magic flow through her. The girl smiled contently and shut her eyes. In the absence of words, Elsa's guilt returned.

How did I let this happen? Maybe I had no choice but to make her think I believed she was guilty, but if I had thought of her sooner, the entire episode never would have happened! Gods, how could I have forgotten...?

Anna was far too attractive for any young prince to resist, let alone one with a history of assaulting young women. Elsa should have realized what could happened the minute Kai had told her of Alec.

Why am I so concerned with this woman? Elsa asked herself. Yes, she is my guest and therefore my responsibility, but ultimately there was no harm done.

The Queen didn't know, but as she continued to observe the serene look on the redhead's face as she took in her magic, a fierce protective instinct came over her. And the monarch couldn't help but think how things might have gone.

If Anna hadn't managed to defend herself and Elsa hadn't arrived when she did...gods, the Queen couldn't stand the thought. Or what if the redhead had simply accepted the prince's advances? He doubtlessly would have first tried to get her in his bed willingly.

Why hadn't she? Alec was nearly ten years older than Anna, but the man was still very attractive. And after all, he was a prince; a night with him would have been a golden opportunity for a girl who had just recently been living on the streets.

An image of the two of them in bed together crept into Elsa's mind, and the Queen suddenly had an urge to hurl.

Why should you care? the monarch asked herself. If Anna agreed...if it was consensual, you wouldn't have any reason to be concerned.

Elsa was brought out of her thoughts as she realized she'd been pouring magic into the redhead for a minute straight. Sighing, she withdrew her hand.

Anna slowly opened her eyes halfway, trying to shake herself out of her stupor. Elsa finally noticed how bloodshot the redhead's pupils were. The girl probably hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night.

"Thank you for understanding, Anna. I- get some rest," she suggested gently. Anna nodded sleepily, but her head drooped towards the floor. Her boundless energy appeared to have finally deserted her.

Without thinking, Elsa pulled the girl up by the arm and allowed Anna to lean on her. She led the half-asleep woman to the bed and set her down on the sheets, then pulled the heavy blanket over her.

"If you need anything, come find me," Elsa said softly as she left the room. But Anna was already asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Miss Anna!" a voice shouted.

The redhead stirred in her sleep. "W-what?" she mumbled faintly.

"Sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but..."

Her daily wake-up call, of course.

"It's fine, I've been awake for hours!" Anna called, trying to rise. Gods, she must have been asleep for over twelve hours. How long had it been since the Queen left?

Anna remembered the Queen using her magic on her, and then it became a blur. Somehow she'd ended up in her bed...

Another wave of tiredness hit her, and she fell back into the sheets.

"Ma'am!" the voice shouted again.

"Who is it?" Anna mumbled.

"You'll miss your training if you don't get up!" the servant shouted, a mix of exasperation and amusement seeping into her voice.

Her training…her training! It was the first day of real training! Finally, she'd start learning how to...!

"Right, thanks!" Anna shouted as she dived out of bed. Running over to the bath, she hurriedly started up her bath.

Anna was soon climbing out of the tub, drying herself off and beginning to work on her hair. Her eyes lit up as she perceived the blond streak the Queen had indicated the other day.

It was definitely growing lighter. The line of hair appeared more blond than red at this point. If this continued, it wouldn't before long it was the same color as the Queen's platinum blond locks.

Perhaps this strange effect of Elsa's magic should have frightened her. But the thought of having a connection with the Queen, even an esoteric one such as this, made her feel warm inside.

Within ten minutes, she was eating her breakfast. She scarfed down the eggs and bacon so fast that one would have believed it was her last meal.

The maid who had brought her the food observed her with a giggle before leaving to attend to her other duties. Anna smiled after her.

The redhead set the plate down and put her shoes on. Her thoughts raced. How would they start? Would Drell teach her footwork first, or would she start bashing a dummy? She was confident that she would take to his training well, and with the Queen's magic helping her, Anna couldn't wait to see what she'd accomplish.

Anna hurried out the door and ran down the hall. Hopefully she still had time. She rounded the corner leading to the stairs-

Wham! Anna perceived a flash of white a split second before she collided with something light and soft. The redhead merely fell to the ground as the figure in front of her flew a foot backward through the air before landing on the floor.

"Ugh," Anna moaned as she climbed to her feet. What had she run into...?

The person in question was laid out in a heap on the carpet, crystal blue white dress in disarray and single blond braid halfway undone.

"I'm so sorry, Your Majesty!" Anna scrambled over to the Queen. To her relief, Elsa's eyes were open, and she didn't seem to be in pain.

"I'm fine," the Queen muttered. She accepted Anna's trembling hand as she rose to her feet.

"Are you okay? Gods, I'm an idiot," Anna whined.

"It's quite alright, Anna, although I must request that you slow down in the future. In any event, I was coming to see you, actually," she said. The sovereign appeared to be flustered, but not the least bit angry.

Anna did her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "Oh, uh, what's going on?" she stuttered.

Elsa frowned. "I'm going to be abroad for a few days. Weselton is proving to be a difficult trading partner and I think a personal visit is in order. I won't be back until Saturday night."

Today was Thursday. Elsa would be gone for over two days. Anna suppressed a groan.

"I'm leaving now, so I thought I should...you know, before I leave. If you want to continue, I mean," she said.

Anna grinned. "Why would I want to stop now? This just keeps getting better and better!" she held out her hand expectantly.

Elsa nodded and administered the magic. The cold washed over the redhead.

"We'll miss tomorrow, but one day shouldn't make a big difference," Elsa said as she finished. "Are you feeling any different?"

Anna shrugged. "Nothing bad, if that's what you're asking. I mean, a grown man punched me in the ribs and I barely felt it. Besides, it's your magic. I'm sure it would never hurt me."

Elsa's face turned red. "Never intentionally," she agreed, "But I don't know what this could end up doing to you. We'll keep going as long as you're fine, but if something starts going wrong, that's it. I know you're curious to see what this is capable of, but if you start experiencing any negative side effects, I expect you to tell me immediately."

Anna nodded.

"I mean it, Anna. That's an order," the Queen said firmly.

The redhead sighed. "Yes, Your Majesty," she agreed.

Elsa nodded. "Good luck today. I'll see you in a few days."

"Thanks, Your Majesty."

With that, the two went their separate ways.

/

As it turned out, Drell started her on footwork first. Despite her typical clumsiness, Anna found that she took to the forms well. The steps he taught her felt natural to the redhead.

The remainder of the six hours was spent learning the basics of the sword. How to hold it correctly. How to parry. The proper way to thrust. Overhand and underhand cuts. Clean straight slashes.

The sun beat down on them as they continued, but despite the sweat that gleaned her face, Anna barely tired.

"You're doing well, Drell said. "Few take to the basics as quickly as you have. Don't get cocky, do well tomorrow and Saturday I'll have you participate in a practice duel with a real swordsman," he added gruffly after seeing the redhead's wide grin.

He had her work on a dummy, performing the attacks as he called them out. "Backhand side! Overhand! Upward slash! Block!"

The last hour was spent keeping up her conditioning. She ran a mile and went through a basic lift routine.

She saw Drell looking at her strangely as she lifted the weights. Despite a full day of exercise, she was still curling the twenty-five pound weight with ease. In truth, she could probably move onto a thirty or even forty weight if she wanted, but Anna decided that doing so would look too suspicious.

Only the strongest women could lift that much, and they worked out for months and had massive biceps. Anna's muscles remained small, although they were now very hard, and the sight of her lifting too much weight would raise too many eyebrows.

At last, he released her for the day. She may not be that exhausted, but her muscles were still certainly sore. She thanked Drell and made her way back to her room, looking forward to a hot bath.

/

Elsa had thought the Duke of Hammerfest was annoying, but the Duke of Weselton tested her patience like none other.

A day's journey in a ship had brought her to the island nation. Now she was seated in the Duke's office, listening to his convoluted explanation as to why his country just had to raise their tariffs on imports. If there was one thing the Queen hated, it was being taken for a fool. The slimy weasel in front of her may believe that being the youngest head of state in the world made her susceptible to his excuses, but Elsa wasn't buying his words for a second.

After a few hours, the two sovereigns relocated themselves to the dinner table, where advisors of both nations joined the discussion. Ultimately, it was pointless. Elsa had already decided that their trade with Weselton was over for the time being. The Duke had tried to take advantage of Arendelle one too many times.

Elsa sighed. She was surrounded by nobles of high status on all sides, each behaving as was expected of men and women of their stations, and all the Queen could think about was that she'd rather be back in her dining room, eating with Anna. The thought of her dazzling smile filled her with a fleeting sensation of warmth.

What was it with this girl that made her the center of the Queen's thoughts? Elsa wasn't sure, but what she did know was that she couldn't wait to return to Arendelle and see her again.

I wonder how her training is going? Gods, I hope no one learns about her second 'imprisonment'.

Guilt still ate away at the Queen. Perhaps she'd had no choice but to pretend she found Anna responsible, and maybe no long term harm had been inflicted on the redhead, but Elsa still felt horrible for the entire situation.

Maybe she was thinking about Anna more than she should. But somehow, the beginnings a friendship had formed between them. Assuming Anna herself actually saw them as friends...especially after Elsa's recent actions. Connecting with other people had never been one of the monarch's strengths, and what she sensed with Anna could simply be her imagination.

After all, it's not as if Anna could have said to the Queen, "No, we're not actually friends. You're insane." Then again, Anna had been eager to spend time with her before, and she didn't seem like the type of person to insinuate herself with those in power simply for material benefits.

If that were true, she'd have slept with Alec. Elsa shuddered. The thought still made her queasy.

"Are you alright, my Queen?" the Duke questioned from across the table.

Elsa nodded, refocusing herself to the matter at hand. "Yes. As you were saying about our silver exports..."

/

Anna spent most of the day Friday continuing to learn the essentials of swordsmanship. Her footwork was by no means at expert level, but Drell soon judged it to be adequate. The redhead's technique with the blade was another matter. The Arms Master looked like he had never seen someone take to swordsmanship so quickly.

She wondered how much of her skill could be attributed to the Queen's magic and how much was her own natural ability. In truth, it was probably a bit of both. The two women had concluded that their 'healing' sessions were making Anna markedly stronger and faster, a process that did not seem to be slowing. Her ability to quickly grasp the movements and positioning required to wield a sword, however, was probably a product of natural talent.

Finally, something I'm good at that doesn't involve climbing.

As she was finishing her final task for the day, a mile run around the courtyard, she noticed a man approach and speak with Drell. Anna had no idea what they were talking about, but within a minute it appeared that the conversation had grown heated.

The other man was younger than Drell, and looked even more powerfully built. Pitch-black hair covered his head, coming down to form a beard and mustache that gave him a very grizzled look. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a warrior.

He left a minute before she could finish her run, shaking his head angrily as he walked away. As soon as Anna was done, she hurried over to Drell.

"Who was that?" she asked him immediately.

Drell scowled. "Swordmaster Vrael. A Knight who's forgotten what it was that earned him that position in the first place."

"What did he want?" Anna questioned.

The Arms Master considered her for a moment. Evidently, the look in her eyes convinced him that she wasn't going to allow the question to be dodged.

"Arrogant ass wanted to know why I'm 'wasting my time training a woman.' He's never made any secret of his opinion that only men should be allowed in the military, and he considers it an affront to his honor to having a girl training within his sight. I told him to shove off," Drell explained.

Anna nodded. She knew that Vrael wasn't the only person to possess that view, but few had said anything outright since her arrival. With the Queen having supported her training, it was obvious that arguing against it would be a lost cause.

"He's a Knight?"

"Aye. His noble birth certainly helped him receive the honor, but even I can't deny his skill with a blade. He's thirty-five, some would say that's a few years past his prime, but he's one of Arendelle's best warriors. The Queen's parents Knighted him ten years ago. He thinks that gives him the right to shove his face in wherever he desires, but unfortunately he has remained loyal to the crown."

"Why 'unfortunately'?"

"Because that means the rest of us have to deal with him," Drell huffed.

With that, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

/

Elsa smiled as she sat in her cabin on the HMS Stormwind. The pride of the Royal Navy, her flagship cut through the waves like a hot knife through butter. In twelve hours, she would be home, a fact that excited her more than it had used to.

Politely, she'd informed the Duke that Arendelle would be finding another partner for its ice and silver exports. The man had begged profusely for her to reconsider, but the Queen was fed up with Weaseltown. It's proximity to Arendelle made shipments very cheap, but that benefit wasn't worth dealing with the island's constant scheming to increase its profits at the expense of her nation.

Fortunately, Elsa already had another trading partner in mind. Although the distance between it and Arendelle took nearly a week to traverse by sea, Corona would likely be more than willing to accept a greater portion of Arendelle's ice and silver exports in exchange for increasing its own exports of gold to its sister kingdom.

She began to draft a letter to her aunt and uncle. Hopefully they would be receptive to her proposal and agree to send the representative she specifically requested to Arendelle so they could discuss the matter.

After all, it really had been too long since she'd seen her cousin.

/

"Begin!" Drell shouted.

Her opponent surged forward, his wooden blade stabbing towards her stomach. Anna swung her own weapon in a downwards arc, easily intercepting the attack.

The Arms Master had agreed to set up a practice match between her and one of the guards, and a skilled young man named Henrik had been selected to be her opponent. He wasn't a Royal Guard, but her new rival was muscular and well conditioned, a popular and well-known figure amongst his fellow soldiers.

Anna had heard his not-so-subtle muttering under his breath about being forced to fight a 'peasant girl', but the captain of his division agreed to Drell's request and gave the man no choice.

Drell had probably done this on purpose, wanting her to face off against an opponent she'd be motivated to defeat. If so, he had chosen wisely; Anna couldn't wait to wipe the smirk off Henrik's face. And the crowd of onlookers eager for her defeat would make the experience all the more enjoyable.

In fact, there was no point in waiting. Her opponent had no idea how strong she truly was.

Henrik attacked again, slashing at her chest. Anna leapt back of range, then slammed her blade against his with all her might. The wooden weapon was wrenched out of his loose grip and went flying off to the side.

A second later, her own weapon was placed under his chin, hovering an inch from his neck. It was fortunate for him that she chose not to make contact, because they weren't wearing armor.

"Match!" Drell announced over the collective gasp of the crowd. Anna couldn't stop a massive grin from spreading across her face.

"Beginners luck," Henrik snarled.

"Care to try again?" Anna taunted.

The guard didn't even answer, but he's shoved his way through the crowd and retrieved his weapon. Again, the opponents squared off, looking to Drell.

"Begin!"

Her rival was more cautious this time, keeping a much tighter grip on his blade. Instead of brute force, he clearly planned to rely on his superior experience to defeat her.

Anna scowled as she blocked his attacks. Henrik might have been an asshole, but he wasn't an idiot. He'd realized that the woman he faced was at least as strong as he was, and adjusted his tactics accordingly.

She parried a stab at her hips and responded with a jab to his chest, but Henrik smoothly drew his weapon back and met her blow. Sliding his blade along her own, his attack came an inch from connecting with Anna's wrist before her reflexes saved her. She jumped back, composing herself for the next exchange.

Anna had proven a natural at learning how to wield a sword properly, but her two days of training were diffident to Henrik's years of practice. He wielded his weapon with much more economy of movement than she did; his attacks had a rhythmic flow that Anna had difficulty fending off. In contrast to her often wild and instinctual parries, his own blocks were smooth and completed with as little energy as required. What she had learned so far proved sufficient to allow her to hold her own, but no more. It wasn't long before Anna was firmly on the defensive.

Her saving grace was her speed. Anna might not have been able to complete her moves with nearly as much efficiency as Henrik, but her blade sailed through the air much quicker than his. She could block a blow by roughly slamming her arms to the side in the same amount of time that it took her opponent to parry by simply rolling his wrist.

Anna ducked, rolling to the left to avoid a vicious downstroke. She came up with a high slash that Henrik swerved to the right to avoid. The redhead just barely avoided his counterstab to the chest, bringing her blade back to deflect the blow with almost inhuman speed.

Henrik came at her again, his assault remaining cautious but increasing in intensity. He tried to drive her back towards the courtyard pond, no doubt planning to pin her on its edge and finish her, but she continued retreating in a circle, staying well clear of the water.

The crowd tensed in anticipation as she was forced backward, desperately trying to maintain the proper footwork. A single trip on the grass and it would all be over.

The steadily growing crowd weren't the only ones who sensed her imminent defeat. As Anna blocked an overhand to her head and their blades met briefly, she could see the fire in her opponent's eyes. Henrik was ready for blood.

Anna used her moderately superior strength to throw him back a step, desperately trying to regain lost ground. He smirked, preparing to come at her again.

What could she do? He was already gearing up for his next assault, and Anna couldn't keep her defense up forever. Her only option was to counterattack and catch him off guard.

Wait...maybe it wasn't! She couldn't defend herself indefinitely, but neither could Henrik keep up his assault endlessly. Sooner or later, he would tire, and thanks to Elsa, Anna had a feeling that she would last longer than he could.

A full circle of people had formed around them now, many intrigued by the young woman who had held off a skilled warrior for so long. Anna now heard some calls of encouragement amongst the cheers for Henrik. Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed Vrael in the crowd, watching her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Anna again retreated before Henrik's offensive, forgoing all thoughts of counterattack for the time being and focusing fully on simply averting his blows. For a full minute, she moved around the circle, her opponent following her doggedly. Anna's mind went on autopilot. Block, dodge, parry. Her blade remained a split second ahead of his.

He launched himself at her, locking their blades together. There was murder in his eyes, but Anna could see him panting now. This time, she allowed him to throw her back; Anna jumped with the momentum, putting a few feet of distance between them.

Henrik came at her viciously, but his movements were slower now. Anna, on the other hand, felt only the smallest bit weary.

He swiped at her arm. Anna blocked the blow, but this time instead of simply preparing for his next attack, the redhead feinted at his legs.

It was a simple trick, one that a practiced warrior like Henrik would never usually fall for. But her opponent was verging on exhaustion, and after growing accustomed to Anna's constant defense, he was caught off guard by her counterattack.

Hurriedly, he moved his blade in a downward arc, but Anna was already twisting her wrist. Her sword twirled around his parry and jabbed forward, hitting him lightly in the shoulder before he jerked back.

Confidence flowing through her, Anna took the offensive. Now it was she that drove him back.

Henrik's blade was palpably slower now. Anna's next swipe came so close to contact that the blade touched his shirt. Her opponent jumped back, breathing heavily. He seemed so tired that he was having trouble standing.

She pressed him, driving him backwards towards the pond. Henrik tried to veer off in a different direction, but Anna cut off his path with a frenzy of slashes, driving him to the edge of the water. Within moments, he was pinned.

This was it! Anna sped forward, feinting with an overhand cut that drew an exhausted parry before fully committing herself to a lunging stab at his stomach.

The instant after it was too late to recover, Anna perceived a flash of triumph in Henrik's eyes.

She'd been played.

His arms recovered some of their earlier speed. Henrik's weapon came up in a powerful slash that intercepted her own blade. As she fell forward, carried by her own momentum, he stepped smoothly to the side. Hopelessly off balance, Anna's feet fell out from under her as she collided face first with the murky water.

She thrashed about as she sank, desperately trying to remain above the water, but Anna had never been a good swimmer. Within seconds, she was entirely submerged. With a panicked kick, she propelled herself within reach of the shoreline. Anna grabbed out with her free hand, hauling herself onto the grass.

Coughing and sputtering, she looked up to see Henrik's blade at her throat.

"Match!" Drell called.

Henrik smirked, raising his weapon in a mocking salute before backing away and giving her room to rise. But as she did so, the stunned look on his face told her that something was very very wrong.

The entire crowd was staring at her now, their eyes seemingly glued to her body. With mounting horror, Anna glanced down at her chest. The water had completely soaked her training clothes, leaving her already thin outfit completely see-through.

Gods. Literally every detail of her form was visible to the naked eye. Her breasts may as well have been uncovered. Some were now gathering the willpower to avert their eyes, but others were smirking openly at her embarrassment. Anna tried to find the presence of mind to shield herself with her arms, but she was all but paralyzed.

"Enough!" Drell shouted. At his outburst, the onlookers finally began to disperse, no doubt preparing to spread the story throughout the castle.

"That's enough for today," he said mercifully. His eyes shown with what she knew to be pity.

Her face burned with shame as she stared at the ground and nodded. Glowering, she stomped her way up to her room, taking care to show herself to as few people as possible.

How could she ever show herself in the castle again? The soldiers had regarded her with contempt before, but now…seeing them again would be unbearable. Worse, it wouldn't be long until the entire staff had heard of her humiliation. She stormed her way past the guards stationed at the entrance to the Upper Wing, trying to ignore their stunned gazes.

Finally reaching her destination, the redhead slammed the door behind her and plopped herself onto the bed.

/

Elsa couldn't suppress her smile as she knocked on Anna's door. After over forty-eight hours of rough seas and trade negotiations, the redhead's presence would be a warm breeze of fresh air.

"What?" demanded a harsh voice inside. The door opened to reveal Anna, a deep scowl dominating her face.

"Oh, Your Majesty...I-sorry," the redhead muttered upon seeing the Queen. Elsa's eyes narrowed. What was wrong with her?

The monarch's heart dropped like a stone. Anna hadn't received a dose of magic in over two days. Had her abilities created some sort of dependency in the girl?

"It's fine, Anna. Are you alright?" Elsa asked nervously.

The redhead nodded weakly. From her red and puffy eyes, Elsa could tell that Anna had recently been sobbing. "Yeah. Today just...didn't go well," she sniffed.

The Queen raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?" she asked.

Anna stared at the floor. "I faced off against some asshole soldier, and I lost in front of everyone. In the process, I fell into the pond, and damn near every soldier in the castle saw me in my wet clothes," she admitted.

For a tiny instant, Elsa felt a warm glow of relief that her magic wasn't the culprit. Her happiness was immediately replaced with concern, however, as she processed what Anna must have gone through.

Nevertheless, the brief moment of relief must have shown on Elsa's face, because Anna's sky blue eyes darkened with anger.

"That makes you happy?" the redhead demanded. Her eyes had the look of a woman betrayed.

Elsa hurriedly shook her head. "No, no not, at all Anna," she assured her. "I was just glad to know that the reason you were upset wasn't...my magic."

Anna seemed to brighten slightly at her words. "Oh...that's what you thought?" she asked. "It's not as if your magic is a drug, I don't need it. I mean I like y- it, but I'm not going through withdrawal or everything."

Elsa nodded, having grown more than accustomed to the redhead's rambling. She felt terrible for what had happened to Anna, but she couldn't think of what to say that would make the redhead feel better.

"You ready, then?" the Queen asked softly, reluctantly avoiding the subject.

Anna nodded glumly. She sighed as Elsa grasped her hand. "Even with it, I still lost to that asshole," she murmured.

"You've been training for two days," the Queen reminded as she used her powers.

"I guess..."

The Queen retracted her hand. She'd had dinner in her cabin, but Elsa briefly considered asking Anna if she wanted to join her in the library. No...it was almost nine o'clock at night. The Queen was exhausted, and Anna did not look in the mood for a board game. And Elsa's expertise in comforting others was non-existent.

Perhaps, for the moment, it would be best for her to leave the redhead be.

"Good night, Anna," she said.

"Night, Your Majesty," Anna replied. Frown returning to the redhead's face, she slowly shut the door, leaving Elsa staring at the wooden boards.


	10. Chapter 10

Elsa awoke to a very welcome sight. A sea of snowflakes was rushing past her window; Arendelle was experiencing its second major snowfall of the season.

Without question, her favorite type of weather was snow. Most preferred the sun, but to Elsa, nothing could match up to the wonder of a blizzard. To her, everything looked more beautiful when it was covered in a wintery blanket of white. The Queen smiled. The country wasn't far into its long winter, but save for the storm that had accompanied her kidnapping, it had witnessed little snowfall thus far. Finally, that seemed about to change.

If she wanted, Elsa could make it snow all day, every day for the rest of her life, but she doubted that her people would approve of that decision. Despite her love of snow, the Queen had restrained herself from creating blizzards on a large scale. Her parents had drilled it into her head that it wouldn't be fair to force her favorite weather on everyone else just because she could, and the monarch had reluctantly agreed. Despite her personal desires, Arendelle experienced snowstorms only when it was a natural occurrence, although it remained a reassuring option for Elsa to violate that rule if the country was ever at risk of drought.

Her mood plummeted, however, when Anna entered her mind. The redhead always seemed to be at the forefront of Elsa's thoughts these days, though the Queen failed to understand why. Regardless, thinking of Anna now caused the Queen emotional pain in more than one way. Despite Anna readily forgiving her, Elsa's guilt still lingered for pretending to side with the Westphalian prince. Now that regret was accompanied by sympathy for the humiliation the redhead had gone through the previous day. The Queen couldn't imagine how Anna must be feeling right now. At least she could spend the day in her room away from less sympathetic eyes; the redhead had the day off from training on Sundays.

After a quick, cold bath (Elsa preferred them that way), the Queen conjured an ice gown and made her way to her study.

She sat in her chair and awaited Kai, continuing to mull on Anna's situation. Falling into the water in that shirt...gods, half the soldiers in the Castle must have seen-. Rationally, Elsa couldn't blame them for staring, but part of her still wanted to freeze the eyelids shut of every single man that had witnessed that ill-fated duel, if only to ease Anna's pain.

It wasn't your fault. She's not your responsibility. Worry about more important things.

But the kingdom was fine for the moment. And Anna was her friend, a friend who had once saved her life.

Her face burned with shame. Anna had been willing to sacrifice her life for that of the Queen, and that had been before they'd gotten to know each other. Elsa hadn't even been willing to comfort the redhead after her traumatizing experience yesterday; she'd healed Anna with her magic before running off like a coward.

She should have done more. Helping someone through a difficult experience was…alien to her, but Anna at least deserved an attempt on Elsa's part.

There had to be a way for the Queen to make her feel better. The Queen could offer to meet her in the library...but no, it wouldn't work. She knew Anna enjoyed their time together, but she doubted that a board game and some chocolate would take the redhead's mind off yesterday's incident.

She glanced outside, where the snow continued to fall. The sight again made her smile, but it also brought back some painful memories. When she was younger, Elsa's absolute favorite thing to do had been...

An idea struck her just as Kai's knock hit her door.

"Enter," the Queen called.

Kai walked in and bowed. "Good morning, Your Majesty. You'll be pleased to know that you have a light schedule today," he said with a smile.

Elsa's spirits lifted. "What is there, exactly?" she asked, daring to get her hopes up.

"You have a meeting with the Minister of Transportation at one in the afternoon. I believe it concerns his request to allocate funds to renovate the roads between Hammerfest and the capital. That is all, Your Majesty," Kai explained.

The Queen frowned. It was an important matter, certainly, but nothing that couldn't be delayed for twenty-four hours. "Send my apologies to the Minister, but inform him that an urgent matter has come up that requires my attention. Unless he has any objection, we will meet tomorrow at the same time. I am free then, correct?"

Kai nodded, but he looked at her curiously. "Is everything all right, Your Majesty? I was not aware of any problematic developments."

"Thank you Kai, but I am quite alright. I am simply in need of a...day off," she said. Technically, it was true.

Kai smiled. "With how hard you work yourself, Your Majesty, I'm surprised you haven't taken one sooner. Fear not, I will straighten out matters with the Minister and tell the staff not to disturb you unless it is absolutely urgent."

Elsa nodded gratefully and dismissed him, her mind running rapidly. Gods, this was crazy. Insane even. The Queen of Arendelle certainly couldn't...

She shook her head. A sovereign could do whatever she wished, and besides, no one would even know. But would Anna agree to this? Elsa could tell that the redhead enjoyed the time they spent together, but Anna might not want to see anyone at all at the moment. Perhaps it really would be best she allowed the redhead to remain in her room undisturbed.

But then what would happen? Tomorrow Anna would drag herself down to Drell. She'd continue training, but the redhead would be a wreck, and subjected to the knowing smirks of dozens of the castle's guards. That itself couldn't be avoided, but if the Queen could help Anna make peace with what had happened, the days ahead would be much easier on her.

Elsa had to try.

\

Another knock on her door.

"I told you I didn't need anything. Please, just leave me alone!" Anna shouted as she laid in her bed. The redhead appreciated the willingness of the servants to attend to her needs, but she couldn't bear to see anyone right now. Well, maybe except for...

"It's me, Anna," Elsa's voice called.

Anna hurriedly jumped out of bed. Friend or not, one did not keep a Queen waiting. The redhead opened the door to see the monarch standing before her, looking unusually underconfident.

"Your Majesty," she bowed.

Elsa bit her lip. "How are you feeling, Anna?" she asked.

Anna's gaze fell to the floor. She should probably just say she was fine, but the former thief couldn't bring herself to lie.

"Like I never want to show my face again," Anna admitted bitterly.

"I understand, but people will forget about the incident soon enough. Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing you're upset, and it will blow over that much faster," Elsa advised.

Maybe the Queen was right, but Anna had never been good at concealing her emotions. She wasn't sure what she would do when she saw the soldiers again. Either tear up or try and punch them in the face, probably. Neither one would end well.

Still, Elsa's concern was touching, and Anna's heart yearned for her all the more.

"In any event, I was wondering if you were...I mean if you wanted...if you're not busy, I mean..."

Anna couldn't believe her ears. Was the Queen really stammering? That was one of Anna's problems, but Elsa was unfailingly dignified. Something was wrong, what was the Queen about to ask?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Anna prompted impatiently. Was Elsa about to ask her to leave the Castle because of what had happened?

The Queen steadied herself and took a small breath. "Since I am free today, I was curious if you wished to accompany me to the nearby lake for some ice-skating."

Anna's relief quickly gave way to shock. Ice-skating? The ruler of Arendelle was asking her if she wanted to go ice-skating?

"Oh, uh, Your Majesty, I mean I don't know if I should-" the girl stammered, her face turning a bright red. Sure, Elsa had said that she considered Anna her friend, but the redhead still couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Not that Anna wanted to say no. Spending hours alone with her secret crush outside of the Castle grounds sounded like a dream come true. But she'd never even skated before! She'd probably make a complete fool of herself.

Elsa seemed to sense her thoughts. "You'll be fine, Anna," she assured her. "I can teach you; it's not too difficult."

So tempting..."I don't have skates, Your Majesty," she muttered noncommittally.

"I'll handle that. Just wear your boots for now. I insist, Anna." Elsa replied, the slightest hint of pleading in her voice. Anna's will broke.

"Okay! I mean, yes, Your Majesty," she accepted.

The monarch smiled. "I recommend you get on your winter clothes. Gerda will have left a set for you somewhere. Meet me in my study in a few minutes," she ordered.

Anna nodded wordlessly, and the Queen shut the door.

\

Wearing a warm yet not overly heavy set of winter clothing, Anna walked past the guards posted near Elsa's office. Her face burned as they observed her, but thankfully they said nothing as they let her pass. Royal Guards, it seemed, were more disciplined than the common soldier.

Elsa called for her to enter, and Anna walked in. The last time she'd been in this room had been her first day out of the dungeons. Gods, how long had it been now since she'd met the Queen? Two weeks? It seemed like an eternity. And yet strangely, it didn't seem long enough.

"Ready, Anna?" the monarch asked. She was wearing nothing except for her usual ice gown, which didn't bother the redhead in the slightest. The Queen really did know how to make a dress.

"Born ready!" the redhead agreed. A thought occurred to her. "How are we, uh, getting there? Shouldn't you have a few guards?"

Elsa chuckled. "You think I need guards?"

Anna shrugged. "Of course not. You're the most amazing- I mean the most powerful woman in the world. But wouldn't your advisors still not want you to leave without an escort?"

The Queen's hand hid her laughter, but she didn't seem to realize the hidden implications of Anna's slip. "Yes. Which is why we're not leaving through the front door." She waved her hand in a dramatic flourish. A gust of wind forced the shutters open, and a large set of ice stairs materialized at the window."

"After you," Elsa said.

\

The steps deposited the duo fifty feet away from the Castle walls, well out of sight of any posted guards given the blizzard that raged around them. Fortunately, the monarch's study faced the side of the castle away from the city, so instead of large buildings and inquisitive pedestrians, all that surrounded them was a relatively dense forest of large pine trees that stretched into the sky. Centuries ago, the castle had been built with its back to the woods, in order to make any siege from behind nearly impossible.

Elsa lifted her palm and a ten-foot radius of clear skies appeared around them.

"Don't want you getting too cold, do we?"

Anna smiled brightly. "Thanks. Where are we going, exactly? You mentioned something about a lake-"

"It's not far. Come on." The Queen said excitedly as she led Anna through the trees. Already, a foot of snow lied upon the ground, but as the redhead followed, the monarch's extended palm brushed aside a path through the white powder. Elsa's protective bubble came with them, shielding the women from the snow.

A few minutes of walking in silence brought them to a rather large clearing in the middle of the trees. As they approached, Anna's eyes were able to perceive that it was occupied by a circular body of water about twenty meters in diameter.

"Uh, Your Majesty?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, Anna?"

"The lake's not frozen."

Elsa rolled her eyes, holding up her hand. Icy mist trailed off her fingertips.

"Oh...right."

The Queen grinned as she unleashed her magic on the lake. Within ten seconds, the water had frozen solid. Another wave of her hand expanded their bubble to include the entire lake. Anna stared in sheer amazement.

A second, smaller blast of magic made her look down. Her boots were now been covered by a pair of shiny white skates decorated with golden leather lining. The Queen created a similar pair for herself as Anna watched, but unlike the ones she'd made for Anna, hers were blue and silver.

"Ready?" Elsa asked.

Anna swallowed nervously. "Uh, why don't you go first? You know, to give me a demonstration!" she suggested. Elsa smirked.

"Of course."

The Queen stepped onto the ice. Well, sort of. Glided was a more appropriate term. She moved across the surface like an angel, warming up by doing a few large circles around the lake. But it wasn't long before she started to show off.

Anna stared with an open mouth as Elsa leapt off the ice, did a double twirl in midair, and landed on one foot. The Queen allowed her momentum to push her across the lake, leaning forward and keeping one leg stretched behind her. She stopped on a dime, pivoted on the ice, and slid back to Anna.

"That...that was..." words failed her.

The monarch beamed at her. "I used to do this all the time when I was a child. Occasionally I still practice in the ballroom at night," she explained. "Want to give it a try?"

This was insane, but the redhead couldn't resist the urge to join the Queen. Anna walked onto the icy surface, removing her gloves and placing them carefully in the snow.

The ice was solid, it was still slippery.

"Whoa!" the redhead yelled as she tripped on the blade of her left skate. She stumbled forward. Elsa's hands reached out, catching her easily.

"Don't walk. Glide," the Queen instructed as she steadied the redhead.

"I don't think I-"

"Come on!" Keeping a firm grip on Anna's wrists, Elsa slid backwards through the ice. Anna wobbled as she was tugged across the lake, but her blades cut through the ice easily, and the monarch kept her upright.

Together, they traced a path across the surface of the lake. Despite her difficulty with keeping her balance, Anna soon found herself capable of remaining upright, and she smiled as the Queen guided her around and around the circular surface.

"You're doing great," Elsa encouraged her as they slid through the snow. Anna grinned back at her as the world whipped around them. Despite her initial apprehension, she was definitely enjoying herself. Although, to be honest, Anna had a feeling she would enjoy anything if the Queen was with her.

Speaking of which...Anna glanced down at their intertwined hands and finally realized just how long they had been maintaining skin contact. A hot blush spread through her cheeks as she looked up and observed Elsa's face. The blond was as beautiful as ever, but Anna couldn't help but notice how free the usually reserved Queen seemed to be out here. Away from the meetings and the advisors and the kingdom, her grin seemed nearly as wide as Anna's. On the ice, the Queen almost seemed to glow.

For once, Elsa was unreservedly and undeniably happy, and the realization made Anna smile even more.

An abrupt bolt of panic hit her when she realized that the monarch would soon realize she was staring. Anna turned away hurriedly, and her concentration broke. Her feet stumbled over each other, and Anna was wrenched out of the Queen's grasp. She continued to fall backwards, heading for the ice.

"Oof!" Anna grunted as her back hit not a hard sheet of ice but a soft pile of snow raised two feet above the lake. She lifted her head to see Elsa observing her, magic trailing off her outreached hand.

\

Elsa swiftly glided over to the prone redhead, face etched with concern. "Are you alright, Anna?"

The former thief nodded. "I'm fine," she murmured, looking at the Queen gratefully. "Help me up?"

Elsa nodded, reaching out down to take Anna's extended wrist. Despite her friend's predicament, she couldn't help but smile. Gods, it was so nice to be out here. The Queen had intended for this trip to make Anna feel better, and indeed it appeared to be working, but the monarch herself felt lighter than she had in years.

Not only was Elsa away from the concerns of her kingdom, but she was with someone who she enjoyed being with. Someone who accepted both her and her magic for what they were and liked them. Someone who the Queen didn't have to worry about being herself around.

The monarch heard a loud screech as Anna's blades failed to find purchase in the ice and rose into the air. The redhead fell backward onto the snow pile, accidentally pulling Elsa down with her.

She reached out with her free arm and stopped herself a second before she would have collapsed into Anna. Her friend smiled up at her, breathing heavily. "Are you okay, Your Majesty?" she asked weakly, still trying to catch her breath. "Dammit, I'm such as klutz."

"Perfectly fine, Anna," Elsa replied.

As she realized the Queen was alright, Anna's bright blue eyes shone with relief. Gods, the redhead was so...caring. And obvious about it.

Some would consider it foolish for the girl to wear her heart on her sleeve, but Elsa wouldn't have it any other way. After a lifetime of dealing with stern advisors and scheming diplomats, not having to wonder about what someone truly thought of her was more refreshing than the Queen could put into words.

Nearly stumbling over each other, the two women hauled themselves to their feet. "Ready?" Elsa asked. At a nod from the redhead, they again started circling the lake. Before long, a wide smile once again graced the redhead's lips.

Elsa was relieved to see that her plan appeared to be working. Doubtlessly, Anna's mood would darken once they returned to the Castle, but perhaps now it wouldn't be as bleak as it had been. After all that Anna had been through, the Queen felt immense satisfaction at seeing her efforts directly make her friend happy.

As Anna's balance improved, Elsa grew bolder. She retained a firm grip on the redhead's wrist but increased their speed. Instead of a continuous circle, the Queen steered them in more colorful directions, sometimes releasing one hand from Anna and doing a fancy spin on her own before returning to the redhead. The monarch lost all track of time as they continued to circle the lake, losing herself to the bliss of the moment.

Their movements almost reminded Elsa of a ballroom dance. Despite her private decision to marry for love, in order to maintain cordial relations with other nations the Queen had had to pretend to consider proposals from many aspiring suitors. These 'courtships' had all at one point concluded at least one romantic dance, something that the monarch hated doing despite being very skilled at.

Compared to her previous partners, Anna would possibly be the second worst dancer the Queen had ever been paired with, but Elsa found her company by far the most pleasant. Unfortunately, their routine at the moment was a friendly round of ice-skating, not a romantic dance.

Wait. What?

Anna's laughter drew her out of her thoughts momentarily. "This is so much fun! Wish I'd tried this as a kid," she said, keeping pace with Elsa's growing speed. The Queen nodded, but her mind was elsewhere.

Where had that thought come from? Of course this wasn't a romantic dance, and there was nothing unfortunate about that fact. Anna was, well, a girl. True, the redhead was everything Elsa could want in a partner...warm, kind, brave, and selfless, but the Queen wasn't attracted to women.

Right?

Elsa thought back to all of her prospective suitors. Many had been handsome. Some had been good men. But had she ever felt any attraction towards them? Any desire to be with them romantically? The monarch scrutinized her memory, but she couldn't remember having even the smallest bit of desire for any of them. Or any man, really. Sure, there had been some whose company she'd tolerated, or even enjoyed at times, but never in a romantic sense.

As for Anna...

The Queen considered, just for a moment, what it would feel like to kiss her. And instead of the disgust or humor that Elsa thought the image of their locked lips would inspire, the thought made her chest grow warm.

Am I attracted to women? Elsa asked herself. In truth, she'd never considered the question before. She knew it wasn't unheard of for people to be sexually attracted to their own sex, such relationships were recognized by the Crown, after all. But no one the Queen knew on a personal level (that she was aware of, anyway) had ever taken part in such a relationship. Besides, before Anna, no other woman had ever made her ponder the possibility.

Then again, Elsa didn't know too many other women her age, and all of the suitors she'd encountered were male. There had never been much of an opportunity for her to develop an attraction to a fellow woman...until Anna had come into her life.

I don't know. I just don't know.

"Your Majesty?" Anna began, a strange light appearing in her eyes. "Can we take a break for a moment? There's something I want you to see."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. What was there to see out here? But at the moment, her mind was too addled for her to think clearly, and she nodded.

"Sure," the Queen replied, guiding them back onto solid land. With a wave of her hand, their skates vanished into thin air, leaving Anna in a pair of boots and herself in her usual ice heels. As the redhead found her gloves and put them back on, Elsa walked a few feet forward and looked around the trees. "What did you want to show me?" she asked, facing away from the redhead.

The answer came in the form of a snowball that splattered across the back of her head.

\

Anna stood deathly still as the snowball struck the Queen. Elsa gave a jump of surprise as the blow struck her, but otherwise failed to react to the attack. She remained where she was, staring off into the tress as if contemplating which cell to have the redhead thrown into.

Gods, this was a new level of recklessness, even for her. She had finally done it; Anna had overstepped her boundaries with the Queen so egregiously that Elsa wouldn't let her off this time.

What had made her do it? They'd been having such a good time ice-skating and...and Anna had briefly forgotten that the woman who held her hands was Arendelle's monarch. She'd just been thinking of the snowball fights she'd loved as a child and given into the impulse.

"Treason," the Queen finally hissed, still facing away from her.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I don't know what I was..." Anna's words trailed off as dozens of snowballs materialized out of thin air, levitating in the space between her and Elsa.

Is she really...? The Queen swiveled around and threw her hand forward. The redhead's vision was a sea of white as the snowballs raced towards her body.

Anna's training had improved her reflexes; she dived out of the way just before she could be hit, taking cover behind a large tree trunk. Snowballs pounded into the wood. A wide grin appeared on her face as she realized that the Ice Queen had accepted her challenge to a snowball fight.

Wait a minute...The Ice Queen had accepted her challenge to a snowball fight. Anna's smile melted.

"Come out and I may be merciful, Anna!" Elsa shouted as began to walk towards Anna's shelter, continuously creating snowballs that sped towards her cover.

"Using your powers is cheating!" the redhead yelled back as she desperately searched for a way out. Elsa laughed.

"You're the one who challenged me. And I believe that in a duel between two parties, it is the one who is challenged that determines the rules. Fear not, I am a fair woman. You are free to use your own magical abilities," she taunted.

Scowling, Anna hurriedly formed a clump of snow between her gloves. Peeking around the trunk, she zeroed in on the Queen's location and hurled the snowball at her face.

It never got close. A ten-foot wall of solid ice sprouted up between them; Anna's attack splattered pathetically against it. The wall vanished into thin air a second later.

"Now you're just showing off," Anna muttered.

She couldn't win. Not in an open fight, anyway. But Elsa could be taken by surprise. If only Anna could relocate herself...but she'd never manage to run between the trees without getting a face full of snow.

But I don't need to, she realized.

\

Elsa continued her slow walk towards the redhead's position. Gods, she couldn't believe was doing this, but the Queen of Arendelle was taking immense pleasure in this one-sided snowball fight. When she was five feet away, Elsa saw a flash of red as Anna poked her head out again, throwing another snowball. Elsa mentally conjured another wall, even bigger than the one she'd just summoned, and again the attack was intercepted.

She was showing off. It was incredibly rare for her to have the chance to use her powers liberally, and even rarer could she do it in the presence of one who would actually admire them.

You're trying to impress her, Elsa's mind pointed out. The thought muddled her concentration, and it was two seconds before she was able to refocus and disperse the wall.

Anna was nowhere to be seen. The monarch ran behind the trunk, but the redhead was gone. Where had she...there hadn't been time for her to run to another tree, not without Elsa noticing.

Confused, she did a brief search of the area, but Anna had apparently vanished off the face of the earth. Save for the ruffle of an animal moving through the tree branches above, the world was dead quiet.

Wait...there shouldn't be anything hopping through the trees at this time of year.

Her mind processed the revelation a second too late.

Elsa's eyes flicked upward toward the noise to see Anna jump out of the branches ten feet into the air, a large ball of white leaving her hands. Too astonished to react, the Queen was blinded as the snowball landed in her hair, coating the entire front of her body in snow. She heard a loud thump as the redhead hit the ground.

"Anna!" she shouted, brushing off the white powder. The former thief was already on her feet, laughing wildly as she dived behind another tree.

"Are you alright?" Elsa shouted after her.

Busy forming another snowball in her hands, Anna nodded. "Fine, Your Majesty!" she called back as she threw the projectile.

Elsa ducked to the side to avoid it. Her eyes narrowed; the redhead didn't appear to be in the slightest amount of pain. A ten-foot drop into a foot of snow was by no means lethal, but only the incredibly lucky should were able to weather the experience without injury, and Anna did not fit that description.

Her magic was making Anna more resilient.

"Going to stare at me all day or are you giving up?" Anna taunted.

Elsa grinned.

\

Their battle continued for nearly two hours.

Okay, perhaps battle was stretching it. Following her surprise attack, Anna landed only the slightest of glancing blows on the Queen. In return, Elsa hit her with snowballs from every direction over a dozen times while rarely even taking a step. Anna continued to make use of the terrain, climbing up the trees and jumping around the branches, but mobility was no match for Elsa's magic, even if the Queen was only using a fraction of her strength and doing everything she could to avoid actually hurting her.

Still, she enjoyed the hell out of it. Seeing Elsa let herself go made every snowball to the face worth it. They continued on as the snow continued to fall around them, the day passing into the late afternoon. Thanks to the early winter nights in Arendelle, the sun had already begun to set.

Her enhanced energy allowed Anna to continue on for a very long time, but finally, her body was exhausted. The end result was Anna slumped on the ground, resting on her knees and panting heavily. The redhead was soaked to the bone, countless lobs of snow having penetrated her jacket and dispensed cold water as they melted. Beads of sweat lined her face, mixing in with the moisture that dripped from her hair.

Elsa stood above her, amusement in her eyes. "Do you yield?" she asked. The Queen raised her arms, suspending a snowball two feet in diameter above her palms.

"Your Majesty, I-" without hesitating in her speech, Anna cupped her hands and scooped up a pile of snow, tossing it up at the Queen.

Elsa frowned as a light scattering of white powder splashed across her face. "Very well," she said, her tone serious. "You leave me no choice but to execute you."

The snowball came down.

Anna tried to roll out of the way, but she barely managed to move an inch before her world went white. It didn't hurt, but the force of the attack knocked her onto her back. She opened her eyes to discover a mound of snow on top of her.

She swung her arms around wildly, brushing snow off of her body. Anna glanced up wearily to see another massive snowball hovering above her, awaiting its mistress's orders.

"I yield!" Anna sputtered.

With a wave of Elsa's palm, the snowball disappeared. A hand reached down and hauled the redhead to her feet.

"Are you alright, Anna?" the Queen asked as the redhead continued to dust herself off.

Anna's teeth chattered. With the snowball fight induced adrenaline wearing off, her body finally began to register that it was soaked in freezing water.

"C-cold, Your Majesty," she managed. "Can you...?'

With a movement of Elsa's hand, the excess moisture in her clothes and hair disappeared instantly. Anna was now dry, but she still shivered.

Anna looked to the Queen, wordlessly asking the monarch to warm her up, but Elsa shook her head. "I can't raise the temperature itself, Anna. Come on, let's get you back to the castle."

/

As night fell, the two women finally returned to Elsa's study, climbing up a new set of icy stairs. Anna's teeth chattered nosily the entire way back; whatever the Elsa's magic was doing to her, it wasn't shielding her from the cold.

"T-thanks, Your Majesty. That was a-amazing," Anna stammered through chattering teeth as they stepped into the room. For all intents and purposes she was completely dry, but the redhead still felt as if she had spent the last few hours battling a blizzard. Probably because she had been.

She started towards the door. "I-I'm heading back for a hot bath, if that's okay," Anna said. It wasn't proper to dismiss oneself from one's monarch, but she hoped the Queen would understand in this case.

"Anna, wait!" Elsa protested. The redhead stifled a groan, was the Queen really going to make her stand on protocol for the first time now?

"That's a bad idea; I'm sure a hot bath sounds nice, but changing your body temperature so quickly might make you sick. It's better to raise it gradually," Elsa suggested.

Anna nodded. She didn't know the first thing about medical practices, but she was willing to take the Queen's word for it.

"I'll just climb into bed, then," she assured the Queen. To her surprise, Elsa shook her head.

"I don't want you to be alone just yet. You were out in the cold too long; I should have realized. There's a chance you've developed a minor case of hypothermia. It's best if someone keeps an eye on you for a few hours."

"Uh, o-okay. Should I head down to the infirmary?" Anna asked.

Elsa bit her lip. "I'll keep you company for a while," she offered finally. "I have nothing to do for the rest of the day, anyway. Take off that jacket and sit down; I'll be back soon."

Anna stared at the monarch. More alone time with the Queen? Gods, she hoped she wasn't in the middle of a dream right now. "T-thanks, Your Majesty," she replied awkwardly as Elsa left the study.

The redhead slipped out of the jacket, which didn't help her continuous shivering, but she gladly settled into the comfortable chair in front of the Queen's desk. It felt great to finally get off her legs.

The Queen returned a few minutes later, accompanied by a serving girl that Anna recognized. In one arm she held a large fur blanket. A steaming cup of hot chocolate was clutched in her free hand. Anna watched in silence as the girl placed the cup on the desk and the blanket at her feet, then moved over to the room's fireplace and started it up.

"Thank you, Kayla," Elsa said warmly as the girl bowed and left the room.

\

Elsa observed the still shivering redhead with a pang. They'd both been having so much fun, but the Queen should have realized that Anna had been out in the cold for too long. It was too easy to forget sometimes when she didn't feel it herself.

She scooped the blanket off the ground and draped it over Anna's shoulders. The redhead smiled gratefully up at her. The Queen's study wasn't exactly cold, but it was far from the warmest room in the castle. Hopefully, that would soon change thanks to the now lit fireplace.

"Are you feeling any better, Anna?"

"Much better," the redhead breathed as she took a deep sip of the hot chocolate in front of her. Sitting in her usual chair in the front of the desk, Elsa sighed in relief as she noticed the faint bluish tint in the redhead's cheeks begin to disappear.

"I shouldn't have kept you out there for so long," she said.

Anna beamed at her. "I don't blame you. I haven't had that much fun in years."

Elsa nodded. "I understand what you mean. I haven't played in the snow since..." Immediately, pain gripped her chest. A series of memories flashed before her eyes. Once happy recollections, they were now nothing short of torture. A reminder of what she could never have again.

"Your parents?" Anna asked her sadly.

Elsa wanted to deny it. But something about the way Anna was looking at her made the Queen want to open up. "Yes," she admitted. "They...I..." the monarch trailed off.

"I can't imagine how you must be feeling, Your Majesty," the redhead replied, her voice flowing with sympathy. "You must miss them so much."

Elsa nodded, a single tear forming in her right eye. Gods, how long had it been since she had openly discussed her parents with anyone? Maybe she never had, not even with her aunt and uncle.

"The last time I saw them, we had a fight," Elsa said, speaking without thinking. "The three of us argued over something stupid-trade agreements with the Southern Isles-but it snowballed. I told them it was stupid to break off our exports to them for a small slight their King committed, they disagreed, and I said they were blasted fools. If they'd come back, we all would have gotten over it, but now...now I'll never get the chance to apologize." The fact that she said the words shocked her, but something about Anna made the monarch open up to her. She was surprised how good it felt just to get that fact off her chest.

Anna gasped. "That's...gods that's horrible," she admitted. "But it doesn't change the fact that they loved you. Even if they never got the chance to tell you, they must have forgiven you before they...before their ship sank. And I'm sure they knew you would have done the same."

Elsa nodded sadly, staring down at her desk. She'd said the same things to herself, but somehow hearing it from Anna made it more believable. And that made her feel a bit better.

"I hope so," she replied. "You never know, I suppose. If there is an afterlife, maybe I'll get the chance after all. Assuming I don't get sent to hell for being an ice witch," Elsa added with a dry smile.

There was no dominant religion in Arendelle. Dozens of churches vied for influence throughout the world, but none was the clear front-runner. Most were silent on the subject of magic, but a few did condemn those who practiced sorcery. Elsa and her family had never been religious, but if any gods did exist, the monarch hoped it wasn't the ones who those aforementioned select few prayed to.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Anna replied. "If you do, you'll have me for company."

"You think you're going to hell?" Elsa snorted. The redhead was the last person she thought likely to receive divine punishment, if there indeed was such a thing.

Her companion shrugged. "With all the people I've stolen from, it's definitely possible," Anna pointed out, her face falling. "Not to mention the men I've killed," she added sullenly.

Sometimes, Elsa forgot that the girl in front of her was a notorious thief, (formerly) wanted by the crown.

"You were doing what you had to in order to survive, Anna," Elsa assured her. "You never took anything from those who couldn't afford it. And I think rescuing a Queen absolves you of the second crime."

Anna smiled slightly at her words. "Maybe," the redhead said hesitantly.

"I never knew you were religious," Elsa noted.

"I'm not," former thief admitted, her face turning red. "So many religions out there...how could I choose between them? As much as I swear to the gods, I didn't actually think that they existed. Or at least, I wasn't sure if they did. "

"Wasn't?" Elsa repeated. "What changed your mind?"

Anna looked the Queen in the eyes. "I met one."

Elsa wasn't sure whether to laugh, blush, or grin. "You think I'm a goddess?" she asked incredulously. "What...what makes you say that?"

The redhead's face turned a darker shade of scarlet, but she didn't turn away. "You have magic powerful enough to freeze a continent. You can heal with a touch. You can practically create living beings with a wave of your hand!"

"I'm not immortal, Anna," she pointed out.

Anna shrugged. "Not all gods are. Plenty of deities die in the various mythologies."

"Shall we form a church, then?" Elsa asked playfully. "All will bow before the goddess of ice and snow."

The redhead grinned through a yawn. "Exactly," she agreed. "Can I be the high priestess?"

Elsa raised a hand to hide her giggle. "Of course."

The redhead laughed tiredly, making the Queen smile. Elsa couldn't help but think of how much of how much an effect Anna seemed to have on her. Minutes ago, she'd been miserably remembering her last difficult days with her parents. And now...

Do I really have feelings for her?

Elsa cared about the redhead deeply. The Queen could accept this now. She hadn't healed her, felt guilty for manipulating her, and taken her into the snow today to try and make her feel better simply because she was indebted to the former thief. She'd done those things because Anna was...Anna.

Regardless of the confusion now dominating her mind, Elsa could at least take heart in knowing that the day appeared to be a success. No doubt Anna would face a trying day tomorrow, but it appeared as though the Queen had managed to lighten her mind. And as a bonus, it was now obvious that the redhead had not developed hypothermia. Mission accomplished.

A light snoring interrupted her thoughts. Anna was slumped in her chair, eyes closed and chin bowed. An empty cup of hot chocolate sat on the Queen's desk.

The redhead was sound asleep. Unsurprising, given how long they'd been out in the snow. Anna clearly had more energy than was natural now, but even she still had her limits. Two hours spent dodging Elsa's magic would exhaust anyone.

The Queen moved to wake her, but upon seeing Anna's comfortable, sleepy smile reflected in the warm glow of the fireplace, Elsa decided to let the redhead be.

\

Hours later, the Queen laid down in her own bed. Elsa's sleep was far more fitful than Anna's.


	11. Chapter 11

Anna came to slowly. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision. Where was she? The room surrounding her didn't look at all like the castle bedroom she'd been given. The redhead groaned as she sat up, a small ache setting into her back as she realized that she wasn't reclining in a bed but instead sitting in an admittedly comfortable chair.

With a flash, she remembered the previous day. The Queen taking her out into the snow, the two of them ice-skating, Anna receiving a large helping of magic snowballs to the face, and the two of them coming back here. They'd been talking for a while, and somewhere down the line Anna must have finally nodded off. Why Elsa had left her here, Anna had no idea, but the Queen wasn't in her study now. The redhead was alone.

Had that really happened? The entire day just seemed so...surreal. Not only had the monarch of Arendelle taken her out to have fun in the snow for hours, but she'd later insisted on keeping watch on Anna personally to make sure she hadn't grown sick from the cold. If she hadn't woken up here, Anna would have thought that the entire thing had been a dream.

Just thinking about it brought a big stupid grin to her face.

The Queen had said she considered Anna a friend, but it was only now that the redhead began to allow herself to believe it. Elsa was the ruler of an entire kingdom, a wielder of magic more powerful than many could comprehend, and the most beautiful, elegant, and intelligent woman that the redhead had ever met. Anna was a peasant with nothing more to offer than a pretty face and a mouth that she couldn't control. How could someone like the Queen like her?

A knock on the door behind her brought the redhead out of her thoughts. "Miss Anna!" a voice called. "Her Majesty asked me to wake you."

Reluctantly, Anna dragged herself out of the chair. She opened the door to see Kai standing there.

"Morning," the redhead yawned. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Eight-thirty," came the prompt answer. "The Queen said that you were exhausted and told me to let you sleep as long as possible, but Arms Master Drell will be expecting you in thirty minutes."

Her heart dropped like lead. A second set of memories came rushing back, these much less pleasant than the first. Falling into the water and getting out to see...Anna shivered, and this time not from the cold.

Still, her good mood didn't disappear entirely. No matter how many knowing smirks she received while training this week, Anna would at least know that that someone the castle supported her. A very important someone.

/

Wisely, Drell didn't mention a word about Saturday's incident as they trained, proceeding as if nothing had happened at all. Anna appreciated this, but it was still difficult to ignore the looks she received from nearly every soldier who passed by. Some were sympathetic, but most were lecherous or scornful. Usually they were both.

Trying to focus on her memories of the previous day, the redhead gritted her teeth and endured the next six hours. If she had trained hard before, it was twice as intensive now. Because Anna had made a simple vow. She was never going to lose to any of them. Ever again.

She was just completing the last of her exercises- whacking the tar out of the dummy she was practicing on- when out of the corner of her eye she saw a dark-haired man wearing the armor of a Knight walk up to Drell. It was Vrael. Again.

Within a few seconds, it appeared as if the two men were deep in heated conversation. Anna continued through the rest of her forms, but she couldn't help but notice that their gazes were focused in her direction, and the Knight gestured to her more than once.

Their conversation ended a minute before Drell finally called for her to halt.

"What did he want?" she asked him immediately.

Drell scowled. "Swordmaster Vrael. A Knight who's forgotten what it was that earned him that position in the first place."

"What did he want?" Anna questioned.

The Arms Master sighed. "Nothing new. Just lecturing me on how I'm bringing shame to the kingdom." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it, there's nothing he can do. Ignore him."

Anna's jaw clenched, but she nodded.

\

"I believe it's your move," said a smug voice across the table.

Anna stared at the board, eyes mired in concentration. Elsa was one turn away from having her king pinned. She searched the board, desperately seeking a way to survive for a few more turns. She'd gotten a bit better as they continued to play, but the Queen could still beat her with both eyes closed.

"I've found a way out for you," the monarch offered helpfully. Anna scowled. It was doubtless that the Queen's advice would be her best option, but to take it would be to admit defeat. Despite the fact that it was a game she knew she sucked at, Anna hated to lose. Even to Elsa.

"Why don't you just play against yourself?" the redhead retorted. "At least then you'd have a worthy opponent."

The Queen smiled. "That would deny me the satisfaction of watching you squirm as you grasp the inevitability of my victory," she said matter-of-factly. "Now, would you like me to recommend your next move?"

This was payback for two nights ago. Anna had trounced the monarch in checkers so many times that Elsa had nearly thrown away the board in disgust. In retrospect, her not-so-subtle laughter at the Queen's frustration probably hadn't been the redhead's smartest decision.

"Fine. I accept your wise counsel, Your Majesty. Please guide me through the rest of this contest," Anna replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. Elsa smirked in victory, reaching out and moving the redhead's piece for her. Anna simply sat and watched for the next five minutes as the Queen played against herself, reluctantly marveling at the blond's complete mastery of the game.

Despite the fact that she despised losing, Anna still enjoyed their games of chess. She enjoyed them way too much. Simply being in the Queen's company was intoxicating. In the six days since their journey into the snow, they'd met three times in the library and gone to dinner afterwards. And each meeting had been torment.

Her time with the monarch was now the worst kind of torture. It was self-inflicted, constantly growing, and increasingly addictive. Whenever Anna looked at Elsa, she was reminded of what her heart wanted- wanted and could never have. Whenever she wasn't training, her mind was focused on the Queen, and rather than sating them, being in her presence only amplified Anna's urges. But she could never find the will to back away.

Anna was a hopeless romantic. She could admit that to herself freely. All too often had she grown attracted to another woman in the span of an hour, who would then spend the night with her before informing the redhead that all she had been looking for was a few hours of pleasure. But what she felt for Elsa was something else. It wasn't just an attraction, it was admiration. That this poised, regal woman in front of her who held all the power in the world possessed such a kind heart deep down still stunned her.

Anna wasn't blind. When she thought about it, she could easily see that Elsa had been looking out for her ever since she'd arrived in the Castle. Finding the perfect person to teach her. Pardoning her. Healing her. Cheering her up after her fuel with Henrik. Anna was still a bit rattled from when Elsa had 'turned' against her, but the redhead couldn't honestly say that she blamed the monarch. The kingdom came first, it had to. Whenever she'd had the opportunity, the Queen had gone out of her way to make Anna's life easier.

Plus, Anna absolutely adored blond hair.

She didn't delude herself into thinking Elsa was perfect. No one was. The Queen was competitive (she really enjoyed crushing Anna at chess), bossy (part of the job description, but still), and without a doubt a bit of a show off (she flaunted her magic often, which the former thief admittedly enjoyed.) But there was no one that Anna admired more than the blond in front of her.

It was almost unbearable now, having to hide her feelings. But the barriers between them were many, and each of them was impassable. Anna was reckless enough to go after two traitorous Royal Guards armed with nothing but her dagger, but the one thing she wasn't rash enough to do was to reveal her infatuation with the ruler of Arendelle. Even if it felt like her heart was about to burst.

Soon enough, her training would be complete, and Anna's time in the castle would be at an end. It was a moment that she dreaded, both because she would no longer experience the luxury of the Palace and because she would miss the Queen terribly. But in a way, it would be a relief. No matter how much pain it would cause her, she had to move out of the castle soon.

Anna couldn't contain herself around Elsa for much longer. And the only thing more painful than leaving her behind would be for the Queen to learn of Anna's true feelings. The first possibility at least would allow them to separate on good terms.

"I win," Elsa announced, dramatically toppling over Anna's black king.

The redhead raised her hands in surrender. "All hail the Ice Queen," she agreed. "Want to get something to eat now?" she asked.

Elsa frowned. "I can't tonight, Anna. We're hosting a ball in three days and I need to oversee the preparations. I'm probably late already as it is."

Anna resisted groaning in disappointment. She'd noticed that over the last day or so the castle staff had seemed to be especially busy, seemingly preparing for something big. "A ball?" she asked. "For what?"

For some reason, a slight grin appeared on the Queen's lips. "A message arrived by hawk yesterday; Arendelle will soon be receiving a Princess from a very important ally that I need to conduct some trade negotiations with. The gala will be in honor of her visit."

The redhead suppressed her alarm at the words. "I'll..uh, be sure to stay out of the way, Your Majesty. I guess I'll stay in my room until it's over," she assured the Queen. Anna was under no delusions that the incident with Alec had been her fault, but she was well aware of her potential ability to embarrass the monarch.

Elsa's hand hid a small giggle. "Actually, Anna, I was hoping you'd be joining us. There should be an invitation delivered to your chambers within a few days."

The redhead's jaw dropped so low she was surprised it didn't hit the table. "Me? You want me at the party? Have you forgotten that I'm, well, me?"

"Strangely, the thought has not escaped my mind, no," Elsa replied.

"B-but I can't..." the Queen's hand reached up, covering Anna's lips this time.

"You'll be fine. I'm not going to have the woman who saved my life sitting upstairs uninvited while the party of the year is happening beneath her feet. Especially given all the chocolate that's going to be on display." The Queen smiled and lowered her arm.

Anna sighed. She had been growing more proficient at the dinner table, according to Elsa. It might be possible for her to remain at the ball for an hour without making a fool of herself, as long as she watched her every single step. Part of her was grateful yet again to the Queen for again trying to do something nice for her, but this time part of Anna wished she hadn't bothered. The redhead had enjoyed a good party in a tavern now and then, but this was something else entirely.

These gatherings were traditionally only for royalty and nobility. Of all the guests in the room, Anna would have the lowest social status by far. There were countless ways in which she could embarrass herself, and thus embarrass Elsa. Still, she knew the Queen probably wasn't going to give her a choice.

"Sure. I mean thanks, Your Majesty!" Given that she'd been invited to a gathering meant for those way above her station, Anna did her best to appear grateful.

"You're welcome. I expect you to attend," Elsa replied as she rose from the table.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Should we...uh...?" she asked, standing as well.

The Queen nodded. She reached out with her hand and administered Anna's daily infusion of magic. "Never gets old," the redhead murmured as the familiar sensation washed over her.

"You're sure there haven't been any problems, correct?" the Queen demanded. The redhead nodded vigorously. "I'm fine! Better than fine!" she promised.

It was true. She felt stronger and faster than ever before. Her energy seemed almost boundless. It had reached the point where she actually had to hold back in training now; no one could watch an eighteen year old girl with small arms curl over fifty pounds with relative ease and not suspect something to be out of place.

Elsa's hand reached out, gently wrapping her fingers around Anna's right braid. "It's clearly getting lighter," she said. "But it doesn't seem to be spreading. Hopefully it will just turn fully blond and that will be the end of it." The Queen let go, allowing the braid to drop against Anna's shoulder. "I still don't understand how it's happening," Elsa said uncertainly.

"It doesn't matter," Anna assured her. "If a bit of my hair turning into the same color as yours is the price I pay for all this, it's a trade I'm happy to make. Especially given how pretty your hair is..." she shut herself up a second too late.

The Queen's eyes widened for a brief moment, but that was the only indication she found Anna's words to be out of the ordinary. "Thanks, Anna. But let me know if it begins to spread. If my magic did something to you..." Elsa trailed off.

Anna's face went scarlet, but hearing the Queen's concern for her well being caused a wave of guilty pleasure to sprout within her chest. "I-I will. Goodnight, Your Majesty," she bowed.

\

She collapsed onto her bed, repeatedly banging her head into the pillows in frustration.

It was getting harder and harder to hide what she felt for Elsa. Too hard. Anna being Anna, it would only be a matter of time before she slipped up.

The redhead knew now that Elsa wouldn't punish her for her attraction. That just wasn't the kind of person the Queen was. But the revelation would ruin whatever connection they already had, and Anna was pretty sure she would die of embarrassment in the process.

She must never know. She must never know. Anna buried her face in the pillow beneath her, repeating the mantra in her mind again and again.

\

"Proceed, Evangeline," Elsa intoned.

The spymaster nodded. She'd requested a meeting of the Queen's council, and now all ten advisors plus the monarch herself were seated in their usual meeting room.

"My agents have managed to decipher a portion of the note found on one of the traitors," the older woman explained. Her green eyes glanced around the room intensely, as if anticipating a reaction to her words.

"The blood made most of the parchment unintelligible," she continued, "But my people are confident that they have successfully determined a single fragment: "Our other men in the Guard…"

The room was silent as everyone processed the words.

"You think the conspirators have more agents in the Royal Guard?" Lord Arald questioned uncertainly.

General Kale stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "That's outrageous!" he protested.

Elsa sighed. "Peace, General," she commanded calmly but firmly. "Evangeline, your people are sure that they translated the words correctly?" she asked.

The spymaster nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I find it difficult to believe there are more traitors in the Guard," Vlora spoke up. "But when it comes to Her Majesty's safety, we must ere on the side of caution. Until the matter is sorted out, I recommend that the Queen not rely on the protection of the Guard."

"Rubbish!" Kale shot back. "Our order has safeguarded the Royal Family for decades! This note proves nothing. We must not let paranoia guide our actions."

Elsa nodded. He had a point, she knew. But so did Vlora.

"I understand all of your concerns," she said finally. "For the moment, I will continue to have the Royal Guard accompany me when I leave the Castle Grounds. But in the meantime, I want your agents," she glanced at Evangeline, "Looking into the order closely. And if we find ourselves no closer to the truth when next I have to leave the castle, I may decide to have my protection supplemented by warriors with no ties to the Royal Guard itself."

Kale glowered, but said nothing. To Elsa's relief, the other advisors nodded in agreement of the compromise. Just then Kai's knock sounded on the door.

"Enter!" she called. He wouldn't be interrupting unless it was important.

The portly servant walked into the room. "The men have sighted a ship, Your Majesty. Flying the colors of Corona."


	12. Chapter 12

Knock. Knock.

"Miss Anna?" Kai's voice called at her door.

"Yes?" the redhead asked. She was just finishing getting dressed, having completed her daily session with Drell an hour ago and taken an especially long bath.

"Her Majesty requests your presence in the dining hall," he said. Anna perked up immediately. She'd been under the impression that Elsa was going to be busy all day with preparations for the ball two days from now, but apparently that wasn't the case. The redhead looked around urgently. She would need to wear something nicer than the clothes she had initially picked out.

"Tell her I'll be down in a minute!" Anna called back.

Five minutes after Kai left, the redhead strapped on one of her better tunics and hurried down the stairs, resisting the urge to skip on the way. She paused at the door to the dining hall, taking a deep breath.

She must never know.

"Her Majesty wanted to see me?" she said to one of the guards on duty. The man nodded and swung the door aside for her.

Anna walked into the now familiar setting, her vision immediately zeroing in on the radiant Queen seated at the head of the table. Her eyes roamed over Elsa's entire magnificent figure, marveling at how the ice gown she wore so perfectly accentuated her form. If only the dress's neckline was just a bit lower...

The redhead hurriedly averted her gaze from the monarch's chest. Perhaps it was time for a second mantra. Eyes up.

It took her a few seconds to register that Elsa wasn't alone at the table. A young woman sat on the Queen's left, wearing a casual yet intricate dress made of dark pink lace. In Anna's opinion, she couldn't compete with the Queen next to her, but she was still undeniably attractive. Bright green eyes lit up a face that currently displayed a dazzling smile. Her petite figure was topped off by a short pixie cut made up of light brown hair. But who was she?

"Your Majesty," Anna bowed, her eyes flickering uncertainly to the other woman.

"Glad you could join us, Anna," Elsa said, rising to her feet. "I'd like you to meet my cousin, Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

The redhead paled. How had she not put the dots together already? She'd grown comfortable enough in Elsa's presence, but now she was alone with two royals. And why? It appeared that the Queen wanted to introduce her to her cousin, but for what?

Rapunzel rose to her feet and walked over to the stunned redhead. If anything, her smile only widened. "So you're the one who saved my dear cousin's life. It's great to meet you. Elsa's been telling me all about her hero."

"I-y-you're-I mean I guess you could say that, Your Majesty...I mean Your Highness!" Anna sputtered.

The Princess grinned. "Taking down two men with only a dagger...amazing! Though I wonder if you've ever tried out a frying pan..."

"Rapunzel," Elsa interrupted, "Why don't we sit down before you interrogate her? Dinner should be arriving soon."

"Sounds good," her cousin agreed.

Apparently, Elsa meant for the redhead to join the royals for dinner. Part of her was touched by the implicit regard the Queen was giving her, but another section of her mind was almost petrified. True, she'd had a lot of practice recently, but this was her first time eating with someone other than Elsa. Hesitantly, Anna made her way to her usual seat, sitting across from Rapunzel and to the right of the Queen.

Gods, there's three people at this table and I'm the only one who's not royalty. What am I even doing here? I'm the last person in Arendelle who should be in this room. Anna sighed, trying to steady her nerves as she sat. She'd eaten with Elsa plenty of times and had reached the point where the experience barely made her nervous. Now, there was just one more guest at the table, and so far she appeared to be friendly.

I can do this.

/

"Elsa's told me her side of the story," Rapunzel said as soon as drinks arrived for the three women. "But you're the one who was conscious the entire time. So tell me...how did you find her? Why did you go after her? Were you nervous? Wasn't it cold?"

Anna stared at her. "Uh..."

The Queen cleared her throat. "Why don't we limit ourselves to one question at a time, dear cousin?" she advised playfully.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Fine." She smiled at Anna. "Alright, let's start with..."

For the next half hour, the redhead relayed her tale to the Coronan Princess, beginning with her journey through the woods and ending with the first meeting in Elsa's study. Rapunzel eagerly pressed her for details, but as they ate Anna managed to satisfy most of the Princess's curiosity.

She couldn't help but notice that the woman in front of her was less...refined than Elsa was. Oh, she certainly knew how to eat at a table better than Anna did, but she lacked the regal bearing the redhead always associated with the Queen. Rapunzel was more open, more emotional, and far less composed. Anna supposed this made perfect sense, seeing how she'd only ceased to be the Lost Princess five years ago. Honestly, she was relieved; it was far easier being in her presence than Anna had thought it would be. It still felt surreal to be dining with two royals, but the redhead found herself enjoying the experience.

"So how's your training going?" Rapunzel asked one she'd completed her story.

Anna's face went red. It was going great...except for that one day the previous week that had seen her fall into the pond and come out as good as nude. Her mind blanked as she remembered the incident.

Thankfully, Elsa bailed her out. "Anna's been doing very well. Her teacher is astounded with her progress," she said to Rapunzel.

Anna's blush depended.

"Indeed," Elsa continued. "She's been learning how to use a sword much much faster than she's picking up Chess," the Queen teased.

"Hey!" the redhead protested, causing Elsa to bring a hand up to her mouth.

"Anyway," the Queen said through her light laughter, "Anna's told you her story. But I'm sure that she's just as eager to hear of your own adventures. I've told her the basics but no one knows your tale better than you."

Anna couldn't resist the urge to smirk. Her chance to turn the tables.

For several minutes, the two women talked rapidly back and forth, Rapunzel happily answering all of the redhead's questions. She described the events in detail, from her capture by her vile stepmother to her future husband's prison break. It was only in the tale's final moments that the conversation wasn't entirely easy.

"They knew I'd never break a promise," the Princess was explaining. The adorable smile that had been etched in her face the entire time finally began to fade momentarily. "Eugene couldn't let that happen; he nearly gave up his life for my freedom. He cut my hair, Gothel died, and my tears revived him." She shuddered. Understandably, it seemed that the traumatic events still haunted her a bit.

"I'm sorry," Anna replied.

Rapunzel sighed. "I had to go through a lot. But so does everyone else," she replied. "In the end, things worked out for the best. Eugene and I met each other and I was reunited with my parents. It's too bad he had to cut my hair though."

"I can imagine, Your Highness," the redhead muttered. Rapunzel looked at her curiously in response.

"Anna's got a thing for magic," Elsa explained for her.

The Princess smiled. "Well, I didn't lose all of it, at least. I can't swing around trees anymore, but my tears can still heal anything short of death. Obviously it's not as easy to use as Elsa's healing magic, but it's even more powerful," she explained.

"Wow!" Anna couldn't help but exclaim. She hadn't been aware that Rapunzel retained some of her powers.

Just as the were finishing their meal, Kai's distinctive knock sounded on the dining hall door. With a nod, Elsa directed the servants to open it for him.

"Apologizes, Your Majesty," the head servant said as he walked up to the table. "You wanted to know when Miss Anna's things were finished?"

Anna turned to Elsa. "My things?" she questioned.

The Queen nodded. "The sword and armor set you requested, remember? After your measurements were taken last week, I had them commissioned. Apparently they've just been completed.

The redhead resisted jumping up in excitement. Finally! "Where are they? Can I see them?" she asked Kai. A moment too late, Anna realized she was in essence asking to dismiss herself from the presence of two royals.

"Oooh, I wouldn't mind a look as well," Rapunzel added. "It's probably a really interesting set, given your small size. I wonder if they made it lightweight, or..."

"Go ahead, Anna. If it's to your liking, feel free to put them on and present yourself to my dear cousin. We should be in my study," Elsa cut in. Rapunzel nodded eagerly in response.

Modeling for the Princess of Corona. Now that was a new one.

Anna rose and bowed. "As you command, my Queen," she said with a smile.

\

"Not quite what you expected?" Elsa asked once the two royals were alone in her study. She'd told her cousin the basics of her interactions with Anna, only leaving out the redhead's less than savory past.

"Definitely not. Can't say I'm disappointed though. I've met a million proper 'Knights in Shining Amor' since my return to Corona, and they're usually just boring jerks. I'd take Anna over any of them any day. Even if she holds her knife like a sword," Rapunzel replied with a smile.

Elsa chuckled. "That's nothing. You should have seen her before she started reading the book I gave her. Anyway, how is Eugene? I'm sorry he couldn't come."

The Princess sighed. "He and my brother are in the middle of their big hunting trip. By the time I get back, I won't have seen him for two weeks. He's doing really well though. It's hard to believe we've been married for three years already."

"You miss him?"

Rapunzel nodded. "I do. But I'll see him in a week. Anyway, enough about me. Who's the special someone in your life?" she asked.

The Queen's face burned bright red. "What...what makes you think I have..."

The Princess grinned brilliantly. "I knew it! Who is he? Is he cute?" she babbled.

"Rapunzel, I'm not seeing anyone," Elsa replied firmly. Her cousin looked at her doubtfully.

"Come on Elsa. I can tell that something's put you in a good mood recently. The Ice Queen seems a bit warmer than usual. Or am I wrong?" she demanded.

Elsa stared at the floor, looking anywhere but at her cousin's knowing gaze.

"See? Maybe you're not in a relationship yet, but you've developed feelings for someone. So what's the story?"

Gods, her cousin was smarter than she looked. Rapunzel might not know exactly who she had feelings for, but...

The Queen couldn't deny it any longer. At least, not to herself. Her heart admitted what her mind could not. She had feelings for the beautiful redhead who had walked into her life and turned Elsa's entire world upside down.

I like women. I like...

"I have been in a good mood lately, but that doesn't mean it's because of a blossoming romance. How do you know it's not something else?" she said finally. Elsa might have been ready to admit her feelings internally, but she was not prepared to share them with someone else.

Rapunzel smirked. "Other than the fact that the room turned forty degrees colder the minute I asked the question?"

Elsa's eyes rose in alarm. No snow or ice had appeared, and the Queen couldn't feel the temperature herself, but she could now perceive the wisps of mist that appeared every time one of them breathed. With a wave of her hand, she returned the room to normal.

"I...it doesn't matter, Rapunzel. There's no way it's going to work out."

The Princess frowned. "You haven't even told this person, have you? How could they say no? You're the beautiful Ice Queen of Arendelle, who wouldn't want to be in a relationship with you?"

Elsa sighed.

"Are you afraid he'll say no because of your magic?"

The Queen's hands trembled. "No, it's not that. I know sh..." Elsa cut herself off a moment too late.

Fuck.

Rapunzel's eyes widened in comprehension. "It's a woman," she breathed, shock evident in her voice.

Elsa remained silent, her gaze rooted to the ground. The secret was out. What would her family think of her now? Would they accept this, or would they...?

"Oof!" the Queen grunted as Rapunzel darted forward and pulled her into a hug.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," her cousin said warmly as they embraced. "I don't care, and neither will the rest of our family. You know that, right?"

The Queen wrapped her arms around the brunette, squeezing her tightly. "That...that means a lot, Rapunzel," she said simply. Maybe the Princess was right. Maybe she had nothing to fear from the reactions of the Coronan Royal Family. But what would her kingdom itself think? Could they accept it? Some would, she knew, and others would not.

"So have you told Anna yet?" the Princess asked as they pulled apart.

Elsa's face paled. "What makes you think it's her?"

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "Is there another beautiful woman who's rescued you heroically that I should know about?"

The Queen sighed. Evidently, denying it was a lost cause.

"Fine. It's her," Elsa admitted. "But you cannot let her know. I think we would both die of embarrassment."

"You don't think she likes women?" Rapunzel asked. "Has she had any past relationships with men?"

For the first time, Elsa considered the question seriously. She'd presumed that Anna's sexuality was no different from the societal norm. But maybe that wasn't true. The redhead had never said anything about being involved with a man before. Anna had claimed that she had never been able to find a husband, despite it being a potential solution to her poverty, but what if that wasn't the entire story?

"I don't know," the Queen admitted. "I suppose it's possible that she's attracted to women as well. But that doesn't mean that she'd like me in particular."

Rapunzel laughed. "If she likes women, Elsa, then I could almost guarantee that she'd be willing to enter a relationship with you."

"I wouldn't want someone to be with me just because I'm the Queen," Elsa said.

The Princess shook her head. "It's not just that. Sure, being a monarch doesn't hurt, but there's a lot more to it than that. By what you've told me, you've been really good to her ever since she arrived. People respond well to that. Plus there's your magic, something that you've said she adores, and besides, you're not that ugly."

Elsa couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "Maybe," she admitted.

"And you've been spending time with Anna teaching her how to play Chess?" the Princess prompted.

The Queen nodded. "And she's been teaching me how to play checkers," Elsa muttered.

Rapunzel grinned. "So she clearly enjoys spending time with you. She forgave you almost instantly for lying to her. And I'm pretty sure she was staring at you when she came to dinner. Sounds pretty promising to me."

"I guess," Elsa mumbled uncertainly.

"I can't guarantee it," the Princess noted, "But I have been married for several years now. I know what to look for. And there's definitely a chance that Anna likes you. So you have to tell her."

Suddenly, Rapunzel began to laugh to herself.

"What's so funny?" Elsa asked.

The Princess grinned. "Just the thought that a dozen princes have tried and failed to win your hand, but it's a peasant girl who wins your heart without even trying."

"I'm not blaming you!" she added quickly upon seeing Elsa's glare. "I think it's romantic. Princes are overrated anyway; I turned down a bunch of them myself to marry Eugene, as you recall."

"I-wait. Where is Anna, anyway? She should be here by now." Elsa said.

"Aww," Rapunzel smiled. "You miss her."

Perhaps the Princess was right, but that didn't ease the Queen's worries. "You don't understand. Anna's never late to her meetings with me. We've been up here a half hour; it doesn't take that long to get from the Royal Armory and back. The girl's a magnet for trouble. Hopefully she hasn't..."

The burnette laughed. "You're lovestruck, it's so cute! Elsa, I'm sure she's fine. What could happen to her in the castle?"

As if in answer, Kai's knocked sounded on the door. "Enter!" the monarch quickly called. The head servant opened the door, a looked of barely restrained panic on his face.

"Your Majesty, I have some bad news..."

\

"It's amazing," Anna breathed as she stared at the scarlet set of armor the blacksmith had laid out before her. She'd expected simple set of plain steel, but this was much more than that. She ran her fingers over the metal. It was incredibly hard, but when she lifted up the chest guard, Anna discovered it to be lighter than seemed possible. True, she was much stronger than she'd used to be, but even the old Anna wouldn't have found it heavy.

Her eyes eagerly roamed over every piece of the set. The chest guard. The gauntlets. The graves. The boots. The helm. And of course, the sword. The weapon was a simple longsword (even with her newfound strength, Anna disliked greatswords, considering them too clunky) but no less impressive than the armor it accompanied. As she'd specified, it was a hand-and-a-half sword, suitable for both one handed and two-handed strikes. She picked it up reverently, running her fingers across the flat of the blade.

The weapon was deceptively plain. But closer inspection revealed it to be as sharp as any edge she'd ever seen. It was perfectly balanced, feeling more comfortable in Anna's hands than any of the swords she'd practiced with, and lighter as well.

She turned to Kai, who was waiting patiently next to her. "I didn't expect...well, this," Anna murmured.

He smiled at her. "This was your reward for saving Her Majesty's life, was it not? Only fitting it's the best that could be made."

The blacksmith nodded. "Some of my finest work," he said proudly. "Best steel I could find, and hardened for days. It will do nicely, I think."

"What a waste," said a gruff voice behind her.

The three of them turned to see Swordmaster Vrael standing in the door of the armory, a deep scowl on his face.

"Excuse me?" Anna demanded.

He ignored her, rounding on the blacksmith. "Doran, please tell me that my greaves have been repaired," he said, the edge of a threat in his voice.

The smith held his ground. "It'll be another three days. I'm sorry, but the Queen ordered me to prioritize the making of Miss Anna's armor. I can loan you a spare set, if you'd like," he offered politely.

"To hell with you," Vrael retorted. "You'll never be seeing me in here again," he promised.

"Hey!" Anna shouted. "Since when is following the monarch's orders something to be ashamed of?" Her dislike of the man in front of her was reaching a boiling point. The Swordmaster turned to her, his face filled with barely restrained anger.

"When it means that he places assisting jokes like you in your pathetic fantasies above repairing the armor of a real warrior," he hissed.

Kai laid a warning hand on her shoulder, but Anna ignored him. "I took down two Royal Guards with a six-inch dagger to save the Queen of Arendelle. What have you ever done for the kingdom?" she demanded.

"I've been serving our nation since you were a toddler, you disrespectful little wretch," he shot back. His eyes flared in rage.

"But only for yourself," Anna retorted. The anger she'd been holding for all of the soldiers who disrespected her, anger that had been building for weeks, was finally letting itself go. "You got yourself a cozy little position just because of your birth; you've never had to risk anything for Arendelle!"

Vrael took a controlled step towards her. "Bold talk from the woman who was probably behind the kidnapping attempt in the first place. Oh yes," he smiled viciously at the look of indignation that appeared on her face. "You may have fooled the Queen, but it doesn't take a genius to know that a teenage girl couldn't take down two Royal Guards. Not unless you were working with them and stabbed them in the back once they delivered their target to you. Her Majesty should have let you rot in your cell."

"Anna-" Kai tried to pull her away from the brewing confrontation, but she shook his grip off easily.

"And now as a reward for your trickery," Vrael continued, "You get to learn how to 'fight'. Your very presence in that courtyard is a mockery to the men of the Arendellian Army."

The redhead stared right back at him. "That's not what Drell says," she retorted. "I'm learning faster than any of his students ever did."

"Drell is a deluded weakling. The man will say anything to keep his pride intact. But everyone else knows the truth. You're nothing. And you never will be. You'll wash out the minute you compete in a tournament. I'd recommend you avoid the streets by finding yourself a good husband, but I doubt you have the temperament to make even the most desperate man in the country agree to take you in."

Vrael must have noticed Anna bristle at the comment. "Don't feel too bad," he said with mock reassurance, continuing the same line of attack. "You could always whore yourself off. Perhaps you could offer your body to some of the castle soldiers. After all, they've seen it already..."

Anna didn't think about what she did next. Her body moved on its own accord, grabbing one of her new gauntlets off the table and tossing it at Vrael's chest. The metal smacked him in the breastplate and fell to his feet with a clang.

Vrael stared at her incredulously. "Is that a challenge?" he demanded.

"Yes," Anna hissed, rage pounding in her ears. "An honor duel. Pick your time in place."

"Tomorrow at noon. The castle arena. I hope your new armor fits," he smiled wickedly and turned away, leaving the room.

The second he was gone, Anna's adrenaline deserted her. Kai simply stared at the redhead, horror plain on his face.

What had she done?


	13. Chapter 13

Anna sat alone in her room, pieces of armor strewn out on the floor around her. Thank the gods, it fit perfectly. Now all she had to do was wear it while facing one of the kingdom's most accomplished Swordmasters in single combat.

It had been perhaps the most ill-thought out decision of her life, but it was too late to back out now. She couldn't bear the shame of forfeiting, and Vrael had doubtlessly already informed half of the castle of tomorrow's match. The redhead sighed. What would the Queen-?

BANG! Her bedroom doors flew open, propelled by a compressed blast of freezing air. Standing in the doorway was Elsa, eyes alight with fury.

"What the hell were you thinking?" the monarch demanded.

Unable to meet Elsa's eyes, Anna looked to the side, saying nothing.

"Vrael is a Swordmaster. He has decades of experience against your two weeks of training! What the hell made you challenge him?!" Elsa shouted.

"He insulted me," Anna muttered. If possible, Elsa's glare seemed to grow even angrier at the proclamation of her pathetic excuse.

"It was stupid. I know. Really really stupid!" she added, throwing up her hands defensively. "But it's done. I'll bear the consequences for it."

In an instant, the room's temperature seemed to fall twenty degrees. "Bear the consequences?!" the Queen demanded. "You could be killed! This isn't a tourney, where the participants use blunted weapons. You'll be fighting for real, against a man twice your age!"

Anna sighed. Technically, the Queen was correct. Traditionally, honor duels were fought between Knights when one party felt he had been wronged. The contest only ended when one yielded or was killed. In truth, instances of death were rare, but the losing competitor was almost always wounded, often badly.

"I'll be fine!" the redhead promised. She did have the advantage of Elsa's magic. And if she indeed was wounded, the Queen could always heal her.

To her surprise, Elsa nodded. "Yes. You will be fine, Anna. Because there isn't going to be a duel. I forbid it. Vrael will be notified within the hour."

"You can't!" the redhead protested.

Elsa raised a fascinated eyebrow. "Oh? I can't? There are very few things, Anna, that I can't do," she began. Her tone was deceptively calm, but the monarch was clearly incensed. "I am the absolute ruler of Arendelle. Every being in this kingdom lives or dies by my consent. I could order the entire Royal City burned to the ground if that was what I wanted. So let me be clear. This duel. Will. Not. Happen."

Anna looked her right in the eyes. She didn't want to fight Vrael, but she was not going to let the Queen pay for her own mistakes. The penalties were for Anna to suffer, not Elsa's reign.

"Technically, you can forbid it," she agreed, "But doing so would be in violation of centuries of tradition. There's no telling how many Knights and soldiers would be enraged by that decision. You'd be putting your personal feelings ahead of the good of the kingdom!"

Elsa's eyes widened slightly, and Anna knew that the Queen had realized she was right.

"Perhaps," the monarch consented reluctantly. "But-" a fierce light appeared in her eyes. "That doesn't mean I can't order you to forfeit."

"What?!" Anna demanded.

The monarch frowned. "If I went to Vrael and ordered him to surrender, the entire castle would know, and I would still lose support. But I know that you wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize my reign. So I hereby command you to find Vrael and inform him that you are conceding."

Anna stared at her in shock, but Elsa's gaze was utterly resolute. "You...you can't! I'd be humiliated, and Vrael would tell everyone!"

"You should have thought of that before challenging him." Suddenly, the Queen's gaze turned a modicum kinder. "I'm doing this for your own good," she said. "Vrael will shame you, but at least you'll be safe. Even with my magic, fighting him is too dangerous, Anna. I won't let you kill yourself out of pride."

In any other situation, the Queen's concern for her well-being would have made her glow with warmth, but Elsa's proclamation only filled her with dread. Forfeiting to Vrael would...how could she ever face Drell again? How would she ever train in front of the soldiers, who would never let her forget her cowardice? She would shame not only herself, but her teacher as well. And worst of all, she would still shame the Queen, who had been the one to vouch for her in the first place. No, this was Anna's mistake, and she would be the only one who suffered for it.

"No," Anna said softly.

Elsa looked as if she could not understand Anna's words. "Excuse me?" she questioned.

"I'm not going to forfeit. I'm sorry. I'm not going to embarrass you and Drell by being a coward," Anna repeated.

For a tense moment, the Queen stood deathly silent. Her mouth gaped open slightly, eyes widening in outrage. "I am the Queen, Anna. Your Queen. You are my subject and you will do as I say. Do you understand?" she hissed.

Anna shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I won't-" she stopped as a layer of frost appeared on her lips, sealing them together. The redhead could still breathe through her nose, but the ability to speak was lost to her.

"My word is law, Anna. Do you understand how that works? A word from me could have you executed in an instant. Or thrown in the dungeons for the rest of your life. So when I tell you to forfeit, you forfeit!" the Queen shouted. All semblance of Elsa's usual composure was gone now. Anna realized that for the first time in five years, someone was disobeying the monarch, and Elsa had no idea how to handle it.

With a glance from the blond, the ice on Anna's lips melted.

"So arrest me," Anna offered. "Or kill me. But given that your reasoning for the order was to protect me...I mean, that would be kind of counterproductive, wouldn't it?"

The room grew so cold that the redhead could see her own breath, but she knew that she had successfully called Elsa's bluff. Oh, the Queen certainly could do those things, but whether she actually would was a different matter.

Elsa's hands trembled in both rage and helplessness. "How...how dare you?!" she demanded. "After everything I've done for you!"

"Everything you've done? Like getting me arrested, twice, for things I didn't do?" Anna shot back.

The Queen's face fell slightly, and Anna instantly regretted the words.

"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. "You have done a lot for me. More than anyone else ever has. And that's why I can't embarrass you. It was your idea to have me trained, and most of the castle knows that by now. I have to prove that you were right; quitting would bring shame on you, and I won't do that. The duel is my fault, and I'll pay the price," Anna vowed.

Elsa wasn't convinced. "No one's going to lose respect for my rule just because a woman I vouched for backs down from fighting a Swordmaster!" she shouted back.

Anna shook her head. "I'm not going to let you take that chance. I'm sorry, Your Majesty. If you're going to arrest me for my disobedience, do it now. Otherwise, leave me be and let me get some rest for tomorrow."

The two women stared at each other in silence. Anna gazed into the Queen's icy blue orbs, inviting the monarch to make her move. Five painful seconds passed.

"Then get yourself killed for all I care," Elsa hissed.

The Queen turned away. She walked quietly through the open doorway, footsteps echoing through the hall.

Had it been Anna's imagination, or had she glimpsed a single tear in Elsa's eye?

/

Elsa slammed her fist down on her desk. She was pacing around in her study as her cousin sat in Anna's usual chair. Anna...

The mere thought of her name made Elsa's heart race.

"Maybe I will have her arrested," the monarch hissed. "The gods know she deserves it. I am her Queen. How could she..." Elsa trailed off hopelessly. Never since her parent's deaths had she felt so helpless. All the power in the world, and she couldn't protect those she cared for.

"We both know that you won't," Rapunzel pointed out. "It would destroy her much more surely than this duel will. You're not mad at her for disobeying you. You're upset because you can't protect her."

The monarch stared down at her hands. Was her cousin right? Such defiance from anyone else would have enraged her, but from Anna...the only emotion she could truly muster was worry. The redhead believed she was doing this for her. And somehow that made it feel even worse.

"She has a chance," the Princess said dubiously.

"Maybe," Elsa admitted. Rapunzel looked at her in surprise. Evidently, even the always optimistic Coronan Princess hadn't believed her own words. But the Queen knew something she didn't.

"Over the past few weeks, I've been 'healing' her every day. We discovered that continuous applications of my magic might have interesting effects. Ever since, she's been growing stronger, faster, and more resilient, almost to an unnatural level," the Queen revealed.

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "Is she okay? Magic is unpredictable. Who knows what else it could do to her?"

Elsa nodded. "The thought occurred to me as well. I've demanded constant updates. So far, she says she's fine, and I believe her. Other than the streak of blond hair she's gotten, all the effects so far have been unambiguously positive."

"Her blond streak was caused by your magic?" The Princess seemed fascinated now.

Elsa sighed. "That's not the problem right now," she said impatiently. "Even with my magic, I don't know if she can...Vrael is a master with a blade. Anna has a lot of natural talent, but only two weeks of dedicated training. If she's hurt, I-I don't know if I could..." she stared down at the table, utterly dejected.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her cousin rise from the chair. Elsa was surprised to find Rapunzel's arms wrapping around her, pulling the Queen close.

"She'll be fine. Your magic can always heal her, and if not, mine will," Rapunzel offered. The Queen nodded. As badly as the redhead was wounded, a single tear from the Princess could save her as long as there was still breath in her body. But even her cousin wouldn't be able to save Anna if Vrael cut her head off. An instant death blow was all but impossible, given the armor Anna would be wearing, but the thought still made the Queen's stomach clench.

"Then get yourself killed for all I care." The words replayed themselves again and again in her mind. Hopefully, Anna would know that she hadn't meant it, that it had been said in the heat of the moment. It was too late to apologize; the redhead was probably already asleep, and waking her now could jeopardize her chances in the duel. Perhaps tomorrow morning...but no, Anna wouldn't be able to afford any distractions, and Elsa knew that any apology she offered would have an emotional impact on both of them.

But if Anna...if Anna didn't make it, then those would be Elsa's last words to her.

Suddenly overcome with fear, the Queen hugged her cousin fiercely.

\

"You support this?" Anna asked.

Drell scowled. "No. I think you're a blasted fool. But since there's apparently nothing I can do to stop you, the best I can do is try and help you survive."

The redhead smiled up at him. She'd gone down to the barracks at ten, ready to begin warming up and armoring herself, only to find her teacher waiting for her. He'd tried to convince her to forfeit, but if both her crush and Queen hadn't succeeded, even her mentor was doomed to failure.

The Arms Master had finally decided it was hopeless.

For the next hour and forty-five minutes, he showed her how to best prepare. The right exercises to perform. What to eat and drink. How to put her armor on perfectly. His presence made her feel more confident, but as the minutes ticked by, the dread in her heart steadily increased.

Finally, it was time.

"Let's go," Drell sighed. Together, the two walked in silence towards the arena. She didn't need his directions; Anna had explored most of the castle by now, and the redhead knew it like the back of her hand. With every step she took, the dread in her stomach grew heavier. The walk from the barracks to the center of the castle seemed a lot shorter than it usually did.

Finally, they stood at one of the two competitors' entrances. Vrael, she knew, would be walking in from the opposite pathway. It appeared as if the arena was filled already; Anna could hear the excited chattering from out in the hall.

"Good luck," Drell said softly. "Fight hard, but if you're wounded, don't be afraid to yield. No one could fault you for that." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder briefly, and then he was gone, heading for one of the two spectator entrances. Anna sighed.

It was time to get this over with.

/

Elsa didn't want to watch. Word had spread through the castle like wildfire, and nearly half of its residents would probably be in attendance. Most would be undoubtedly rooting for Vrael, although Anna would certainly have her supporters among the servants. At the very least, most of the crowd did not want to see the duel end in a fatality.

The Queen had to go. Not officially, of course, but if Anna was injured, she would have to be there to help heal the redhead. Rapunzel was attending for the same purpose.

But there was one thing the Coronan Princess didn't know.

Elsa would allow the duel to commence. But if it looked like Anna was about to be seriously injured or killed, the Queen had made up her mind that she would intervene. Not for a small cut or minor injury; in a way, she'd be glad to see the redhead hurt mildly. It would give Anna an excuse to yield, and something minor could be healed by her magic within minutes.

But if it appeared as if Anna wasn't going to surrender and Vrael was going to score a decisive blow, she would stop the match. Verbally, if possible, Magically, if not. A blast of ice would quickly break up the engagement. The people wouldn't be happy, but Elsa could always claim that it had been a reflex out of concern for one who had saved her life. In time, most of them would move past it.

Elsa knew that it was a bad idea, but the Queen couldn't bring herself to care. She'd been powerless to save her parents, and they'd died after an argument that could now never be forgiven. The monarch was not going to let the situation repeat itself. Anna would survive, one way or another. Elsa would apologize for her outburst, and they would move on.

Hopefully.

\

Despite the fact that her magic would be Anna's best chance if she was injured, part of the redhead didn't want to see the Queen in the stands.

This hope was dashed the instant she walked into the Palace Dueling Arena, sword clutched tightly in one hand and helm held in the other.

The room was large, with much of the room being taken up by the circular dueling rink The floor was composed of smooth wooden boards, all of which were completely colored a dull brown save for a circle of white that marked off the rink itself. Comfortable bleachers surrounded the arena on all four sides, only parting to make way for the arena's four entrances.

Against her will, Anna's eyes were drawn to where she knew the Queen would be sitting. Elsa, Rapunzel, and a group of officials from both of their countries sat in the high walled-off section of the stands, surrounded by a cluster of guards. The Ice Queen appeared completely stoic, not betraying a hint of emotion with her expression. She glanced at Anna for only a split second before averting her gaze to the middle of the arena. The Princess of Corona was trying to imitate her, but she lacked the decades of practice afforded to her cousin. Even fifty feet away, Anna could perceive the worry on her face.

What if Elsa's not acting? Her brain panicked. Was the Queen so angry at her insubordination that she no longer cared for Anna's fate?

No, Anna couldn't allow herself to believe that. She knew almost without a doubt that the monarch was furious with her, but Elsa would never be so callous. She had to appear impartial, and the redhead couldn't fault her for that.

Nevertheless, the distance between them whacked Anna with a painful dose of reality. There was Elsa, seated in the Royal Box...accompanied by the Princess of Corona and surrounded by an elite order of warriors dedicated to her protection. Anna was on the ground, with most of the room content to see her about to risk her life.

Despite the unlikely friendship that had formed between them, she would never be able to be with the Queen. Elsa was the ruler of Arendelle. Anna was Anna. It was time for her subconscious to accept that.

She shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind. Here she was, thinking of her feelings for the Queen before a potentially lethal duel. Anna's obsession with romance had gotten her hurt several times, but she wouldn't allow it to get her killed.

The door opposite her opened, and Vrael entered the room. The Knight was clad in a glimmering set of steel armor, and in his hands rested a powerful broadsword. His helm was cupped under his arm, so for the moment, the redhead could perceive the wicked gleam in his eyes.

Anna gulped.

Kai stood up from the first row of the stands. As the Castle's seneschal, it was his duty to preside over the event. Anna could perceive just a hint of regret in his eyes, but like Elsa, he had decades of practicing in concealing his emotions.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" he announced. "We are here to witness Lord Vrael's acceptance of the challenge issued by Anna of Arendelle to a duel of honor. The Queen would like to wish the best of luck to both parties, and express her hopes that the contest can be concluded without serious injury to either contestant."

Kai paused, as if awaiting an objection. "I believe that is all. Begin!"

Vrael raised his blade in the most contemptuous salute that Anna had ever witnessed. The redhead matched his pose, taking deep calming breaths. She could do this. She had to.

Both warriors placed their helms on their heads and stepped slowly into the circle. Anna's vision zeroed in her on her opponent. Suddenly, there was no crowd. No Queen in the stands. There was only the fight.

They stepped toward each other warily, stepped along the edges of the perimeter. Slowly, Anna approached Vrael, ready for an attack. Her strategy was simple: use her superior stamina to outlast him. Easier said than done, but it was better than going on the offensive and being cut to ribbons.

She made two small steps to her right. He mirrored her movement. Well, if he wanted to play the waiting game, then that was-

Vrael rapidly changed direction, his footwork was so smooth that she barely perceived the danger until it was too late. His feet shifted to the left, putting him within range, and the Knight stabbed at her leg with incredible speed.

Anna wasn't nearly as skilled as he was, but she was faster. The redhead's reflexes saved her just in time; she jumped backwards a half second before he could make contact.

She could see Vrael scowl under his helm.

He pressed her again, attacking with a series of intricate and refined blows that the redhead had a difficult time parrying. Vrael's form was perfect, his movements were the epitome of efficiency. It took all of her concentration to withstand his assault.

But withstand it she did. On a technical level, Anna was by no means a swordmaster, but it would no longer be a stretch to call her a skilled swordsman. Over the last few weeks, her natural talent had been honed under Drell's tutelage. Even without Elsa's magic, Anna would judge her abilities to be superior to those of the average soldier, her aptitude more than making up for their superior experience.

Vrael feinted toward her head, and she fell for it. Anna lowered her blade just in time, deflecting a slash at her thighs. For the first time, the redhead attempted a counterattack, but the Knight saw her stab coming from a mile away. He parried the blow effortlessly before renewing his offensive. Again, he forced Anna back.

Her training allowed her to just barely hold her own on a technical level, and thanks to her unnatural speed, Vrael was unable to achieve a quick victory. He drove her back around the circle, but Anna held fast, remaining on the defensive but nearly matching him blow for blow.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of the advantage her quickness afforded her. Vrael's defense was far too tight for her to penetrate. Anna ducked a slash at her neck and came up with a swipe at his chest, but the Knight's blade angled downward and intercepted the redhead's attack. She was forced to jump backwards again, barely avoiding his riposte.

Anna could sense his frustration growing. The crowd had grown silent, all expectations of his quick victory gone. Anna raised her sword as Vrael charged her, preparing herself for the next assault. She had to wait him out; he would make a mistake eventually. But then again, so would she.

Perhaps holding him off was only part of the solution. Anna smirked slightly. If he wouldn't slip up, then she would have to encourage him.

\

On the outside, Elsa was (as per usual) the most composed being in the room. In contrast to her cousin, who gasped nervously every few seconds, the Queen gave no indication as to what she was feeling.

But on the inside, Elsa felt as if she was going to have a heart attack. Every time Vrael's blade came within an inch of the redhead, the Queen's chest grew so tight that the monarch felt physical pain. Around and around the perimeter the combatants circled, Anna struggling to hold the Swordmaster at bay.

Gods, this was all her fault. If Elsa hadn't sent Anna to get her armor at the exact moment she had, the redhead would never have had that fateful meeting with Vrael. It was stupid to blame herself for the unforeseeable outcome, she knew, but the Queen couldn't help but hold herself responsible.

If something happens to her...I should have told her how I felt; now it might be too late. Logically speaking, it would have been a bad idea; whatever her reaction to it, the confession would have distracted Anna from today's duel. Still, "I have feelings for you," sounded like better last words to a friend than "Get yourself killed for all I care."

The Queen's eyes widened slightly as Vrael launched another vicious assault. Evidently, he was getting tired of Anna holding her own. He attacked her from all sides, feinting from half a dozen directions. There was no telling when the final blow would-

A lightning fast backhand came at Anna's right arm. The redhead tried to jump back, but this time even her speed wouldn't save her. To her left, Rapunzel let out a small scream as the Knight's blade ripped through his opponent's gauntlet.

Anna jerked her arms back just in time to avoid losing a limb, but the weapon still made contact. The tip of the broadsword cut her just below the wrist, and Anna let out a small cry of pain.

Already, Elsa could perceive a small red drops falling to the floor near Anna's feet. The desperate fear she felt redoubled at the injury, but the Queen's worry briefly turned to relief as she considered the cut.

It was not remotely lethal, and a quick application of her magic would remove it. And now, Anna had an excuse to surrender.

Yield, Anna. Please yield... Elsa's mind pleaded.

The redhead did no such thing. Anna raised her weapon defiantly, trickles of blood running down her sleeve. With a yell, she met Vrael's next charge. The two warriors clashed again, but now Anna was being driven back even faster than before. Even the Queen's untrained eye could see the redhead's wounded arm tremble as she struggled to hold off the assault.

What was she doing?! Anna could concede right now, and no one would fault her for it. Why was she risking her life in a battle she could not hope to win?

Elsa almost groaned. Anna never gave up; she wouldn't yield until Vrael's blade was at her throat. Usually, the redhead's determination was a quality that she admired, but right now it made the Queen so fearful that she wanted to puke.

Even her practiced regal mask began to slip as Anna's parries grew increasingly desperate. The Knight hammered at her from all sides, focusing the majority of attacks on her right flank. Elsa clenched her teeth, praying that Anna would escape without being dealt a death blow. She stared down at the combatants, waiting for it to be over.

And sooner than she expected, it was.

\

Anna hadn't been concealing her inhuman speed. But for most of the duel, there was one surprise she kept to herself.

She matched Vrael's blows with a level of strength roughly equal to the Swordmaster's own. The Knight had thought she was struggling to match him in terms of brawn, but in truth, Anna had been holding back, waiting for the right moment. She would get only one chance to surprise him with her true strength.

That chance had now arrived.

The cut on her arm was indeed painful. But it wasn't nearly as crippling as she made it out to be. While the blow stung, it hurt much less than it ought to have. She allowed Vrael to think otherwise, weakening her parries and allowing herself to appear more sloppy than she truly was. Sensing victory, the Knight pressed her harder, prepared to finish her off.

His own form grew reckless. The Knight's technique remained impeccable, but even the most skilled swordsman could not rush blindly into an offensive without presenting some sort of opening.

Vrael feinted toward her leg, and Anna shakily brought her sword down to intercept him. Before their weapons could make contact, the Swordmaster rapidly altered the angle of his attack, launching a final slash at her chest.

This was it! With steadiness she appeared to have lost and strength she had not yet demonstrated, Anna swung her blade as hard as she could into an upwards swipe.

The Knight's intended coup de grace never reached her body. A loud clang sounded throughout the room as Anna's sword intercepted his blow. Vrael's sword was torn from its owner's grip; the weapon flew halfway to the ceiling before falling to earth. By the time the sword hit the floor with a noisome clang, Anna's own blade was already leveled at her opponent's throat.

The redhead grinned in triumph as the Knight stared at her in shock.

"Yield," she demanded.

For a moment, the anger in his eyes made her think she would refuse. But fear and self-preservation overpowered his rage. "I yield," he muttered.

The next minute was a blur. Some of the crowd cheered. Others booed. But everyone was in shock. It took Kai thirty seconds to tone down the yelling enough to announce that a winner had been decided. By the time of the proclamation, Vrael had slunk from the room. He probably wouldn't be showing his face for a while.

Anna was in a daze. She had done it. She had done it. The redhead raised her weapon, saluting the crowd. She couldn't even feel the pain in her hand. In a way, she had shown them all. Many of them would never like her. But they would never be able to laugh at her again.

The crowd began to disperse. Her eyes instinctively looked for Elsa, but she was already gone.

"Miss Anna?" Kai tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She turned to him, smiling brightly.

"Yes?"

"Her Majesty would like to speak with you in her study."

Anna's heart plummeted. Their argument came rushing back to her. She'd explicitly defied the Queen in a grave matter. Part of her doubted that Elsa would let that go easily, even if she didn't officially punish Anna by having her arrested.

"Oh. Thanks Kai," she replied. Without another word, she began to move towards the door.

Drell intercepted her just before she could leave. "Not bad," he complimented with a wry smile. Despite her apprehension, she grinned up at him.

"It was all thanks to your training," she replied. A lie, but not a complete one. Magic or not, Anna wouldn't have stood a chance without his instruction.

He nodded. "I'm glad to see you're alright, even if I still think you're a fool," he added. Despite his words, Anna could see the relief plain on his face.

"I think you're ready," Drell continued. Anna looked up at him curiously.

"Ready for what?"

\

Elsa sat in her chair, staring at the door nervously. Rapunzel stood next to her, pacing around the room with a bright smile on her face.

"I can't believe she won!" the Princess said for the sixth time.

The Queen nodded. She'd never been more relieved in her entire life. But her worry was quickly returning. Would Anna forgive her words from the previous night? Could things between them ever return to normal?

A knock on the door.

"Enter!" Elsa called.

Anna walked into the room, staring at the ground nervously. "Your Majesty," she said stiffly, bowing deeply. "You summoned me?"

The Queen nodded. "Anna, I'm...I'm so glad that you're okay," she breathed. "Let me see your arm and I'll take care of it."

To her shock, the girl shook her head. "Thanks, Your Majesty, but I don't think that's a good idea."

Elsa stared at her. "Why?" she questioned.

"I have to get used to fighting without your magic now. Drell says my training's finished, and there's a tournament in Hammerfest at the end of the week," Anna explained. Her eyes shone with sadness.

"You're leaving?" Rapunzel demanded.

Anna nodded, staring down at the floor. "Even if he doesn't know about your magic, Drell's still right; I've learned enough to compete in competitions."

"When will you be back?" the Princess questioned.

The redhead sighed deeply. "I...I won't be. There's no excuse for me to be here anymore. My reward was to stay here until my training was complete and now..." she trailed off.

Elsa's mind turned to mush.

Anna couldn't be leaving. Somewhere along the way, the Queen had forgotten that Anna wasn't a permanent resident of the castle. The monarch simply couldn't imagine life in the Palace without her presence.

Say something, you idiot! Elsa mentally screamed at herself. But her lips were too stunned to form the words.

Anna raised her head slightly. "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty," she said, bowing again to the Queen. Without another word, she turned and left the room, unaware of Elsa's agonized stare on her back.


	14. Chapter 14

Anna walked back to her room, struggling to keep the tears off her face. Finally, it was happening. Her fantasy had come to an end.

The last thing she wanted to do was leave the Palace. The luxury, the food, and above all the Queen had made her time in the Castle the best period of her life. But it had to happen. She couldn't contain herself around Elsa much longer.

In any event, it didn't matter. The Queen's reward had been quite clear; a room in the castle and training in combat until she could hold her own in competitions. And now, Anna had proven that she could.

Unfortunately.

She made her way into the upper wing and entered her former bedroom. Anna ran her hands over the velvet sheets, resisting the urge to lay in them one last time. Drell had been clear. If she was to make it to Hammerfest on time, she would have to leave within hours.

Resisting the urge to sob, she began to pack her few belongings.

\

"Elsa, stop!" Rapunzel moved into the doorway of study, blocking the Queen's way out. "What are you planning on doing?"

The monarch paused before her cousin. "I'm going to tell Anna that she can stay in the Castle, of course. That surprises you?" she questioned. Her cousin's resistance shocked her; Rapunzel had made it quite clear that she supported Elsa's feelings for Anna.

The Princess shook her head. "Of course not. But you have to do it right," she explained.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Do it right?" she asked.

Her cousin nodded. "Be honest. Don't make up any excuses. Tell her why you want her to stay."

"Anna's not ready; Drell doesn't know about my magic. She should stay and continue her training," the Queen replied instantly.

Rapunzel glowered at her. "And what will you do when that's finished? If you want her to stay forever, then you'll need a lot more than that."

Forever. The word echoed in her skull. Did Elsa want Anna to remain in the Castle permanently? It was a ridiculous thought, but then again, hundreds of people lived within the Palace Walls. Few would notice one more. Elsa tried to imagine what it would be like if Anna left. Going back to the way things were…

The Queen had been starved of real human contact for too long. Anna had brought a breath of fresh air into her life, a happiness the monarch hadn't possessed in over five years accompanied her presence. The thought of enduring the rest of her existence without Anna by her side, either as a friend or...something more...filled her with dread.

"Why do you really want her to stay?" Rapunzel pressed. Never before had Elsa seen her cousin act so forceful. In a rare moment, the monarch crumbled under another's gaze. The Queen's eyes fell to the ground.

"If you can't admit it to me, you won't be able to admit it to her," the Princess pointed out.

Elsa sighed. "You know why. But what makes you think I have to tell her that? Don't you think she'd jump at the chance to remain in the Castle? Nothing she wins in a tournament could ever give her the lifestyle offered to her here."

"That's true," Rapunzel agreed. "But Anna might be too proud to stay just based on that. You told me she barely asked for anything when you offered to reward her. Now you think she'll accept a permanent life here in exchange for, well, nothing? I'm sure that part of her would want to, but whether she actually would is a different story."

Elsa's teeth clenched. Her cousin was right. The redhead wouldn't accept such blatant charity.

"So I'll tell her that I enjoy her company," the Queen huffed. "I'll say that having her around makes me happy, and that the cost of her living expenses is worth the emotional stability that her presence gives to Arendelle's monarch."

The Princess rolled her eyes. "Even to me, that sounds ridiculous. It you want to make certain that she stays, you have to tell her how you feel."

"Tell her how I feel?!" Elsa demanded. "If she doesn't reciprocate my feelings, than all that will do will make sure she leaves!"

"That's a risk you have to take. Even if she doesn't like you back, she might buy the 'emotional dependency' argument if she knew you liked her as much as you do. And if she does, then she'll stay for sure. All in all, it's your best chance," her cousin explained.

Elsa sighed. "How do we even know that she wants to live here?" she asked, doubt suddenly filling her mind. "Maybe she'd rather be making her own way in the open world, fighting in tournaments for a living. It's less comfortable, certainly, but probably more exciting."

Rapunzel crossed her arms. "Did you see her face when she told you she was leaving?" the Princess demanded. "She was struggling to hold back tears. No, she definitely wants to stay here. All you have to do is give her a good reason."

"And what if she does return my feelings?" Elsa asked. "There's no way we could..."

Rapunzel smiled. "Why not?" she asked.

The Queen grimaced. "The monarch in a relationship with another woman? And a commoner to boot! It would anger too many people. And that's not even taking into consideration Anna's past."

"Anna's past?" Rapunzel questioned.

Elsa sighed. She'd made up her mind not to tell anyone of the redhead's former life, but Rapunzel was worthy of an exception. There was no one she trusted more.

The Queen told her the entire story.

Rapunzel's reaction wasn't what she expected. The Princess laughed. Laughed.

"What's so funny?" Elsa demanded.

Her cousin grinned. "Elsa, I married a former thief, and he stole a lot more than Anna ever did. My country got over it, yours will too."

Of course. The monarch nearly slapped a palm to her forehead. How had she not noticed the parallels before? But still...

"Eugene's not a woman," the Queen pointed out. "And the two of you had the advantage of the goodwill brought about by the return of the Lost Princess. People were so happy to see you back they wouldn't have cared if you were dating a frog. I don't have that luxury."

"Perhaps," Rapunzel agreed. "But you have advantages of your own. There's still a lot of sympathy for the loss of your parents. And the threat of your magical wrath gives you a stranglehold on the throne. Being with Anna would create difficulties, but it wouldn't be anything you couldn't deal with."

"Maybe," Elsa admitted. Her cousin was smarter than she looked.

"Besides, that's not even your real concern here. Those are just excuses your mind is inventing to try and get out of telling her how you feel. You're so terrified she'll say no you're trying to rationalize not telling her," Rapunzel continued.

The monarch's eyes narrowed. Perhaps her cousin was too smart.

"Elsa?" the Princess asked.

"Yes?" the monarch replied.

"Go."

\

Anna took one last hot bath after she packed, savoring the steaming water. It might be years before she got the opportunity to wash herself in warm water again, if indeed she ever did. Trying not to cry, she stepped out of the water and dried herself off. Using the mirror one final time, she braided her hair into its usual style before putting on a set of clean clothes.

The redhead was just making sure she'd packed all of her armor into a bag when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Anna, may I come in?" asked the Queen's voice.

What was she doing here? Planning on telling her off for leaving their meeting so abruptly? Or perhaps she just wanted to say goodbye. Hoping it was the latter, Anna dashed to the door and flung it open.

"Your Majesty," she bowed deeply.

Elsa nodded, walking past her and into the center of the room. She stood facing the window for a good ten seconds, as if deciding what to say.

"I...I came to apologize, Anna," she said finally, turning to look at the redhead. At Anna's quizzical look, she continued. "For my words last night. I said I didn't care if anything happened to you, and...and I was wrong. I'm sorry."

The former thief stared at her in shock. "You're apologizing to me? I'm the one who should be sorry. I defied your direct orders, and you let me off with nothing more than an angry glare," she pointed out.

Elsa shrugged slightly. "I was angry, Anna," she admitted softly, "But I understand why you did it. In a way, I appreciate it, even if I still wish that you hadn't risked your life."

Anna wasn't sure what to say. "Uh...thanks, Your Majesty. I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you've done for me. The room. The training. The chocolate," she breathed. "Anyway, um...thank you."

"You don't have to leave yet, Anna," Elsa blurted out. The redhead stared at her. Of course she did, and not just for the reasons that the Queen was aware of. Besides, Elsa was probably just trying to be courteous.

The redhead really really didn't want to go, and that was why she had to leave now, before the temptation took over.

Anna shook her head. "You gave me my reward. I no longer have a reason to be here. You don't owe me anything anymore." Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Of course, if you want, I could always visit sometime when I'm in the area. There have been tournaments held within the capital, after all." And maybe if she only saw Elsa infrequently, they could continue their friendship without the Queen discovering her true feelings.

The monarch shook her head. "No. That's not what I want, Anna," she replied.

Anna's heart sank. She knew the Queen's reasoning immediately. Today had demonstrated the risks that her presence in the Palace posed. The longer she remained here, the more likely it became that she would embarrass the monarch. Regardless, Elsa's admission instantly had her battling tears. After all they'd bonded, the Queen didn't even want her around.

"I-I understand," she choked. Anna picked her bag up off the floor. "G-goodbye, Your Majesty."

She turned around to leave. Anna took a step towards the door...only for her path to be cut off. A wall of ice sprouted up across the entire room, seemingly raising up from the carpet. Within a second, a barricade of white reached up all the way to the ceiling, obstructing her view of the door beyond. Shocked, the redhead spun around to face the Queen.

"I don't want you to visit, Anna. Because I don't want you to leave in the first place," Elsa said firmly.

The redhead stared at her. "I told you, you don't owe me-" the Queen cut her off with curt wave of her hand.

"That's a matter of debate, Anna," Elsa asserted. Suddenly, the monarch bit her lip. "And that's not why I want you to stay. Not the main reason anyway."

Despite herself, the redhead couldn't help but feel an uproar of hope at Elsa's words. Was the Queen really suggesting...

Elsa sighed heavily. "You make me...happy, Anna. You've brought something into my life I haven't felt since my parents died. You...you mean a lot to me, and I...I don't want to see you go," she admitted. It seemed to be a struggle for her to get the words out, but Anna could tell they were genuine.

For a brief instant, Anna thought she could fly. At that moment, she understood without a shadow of a doubt that she meant something to Elsa. The ruler of Arendelle valued her, and in a way that no one else ever had. It was a strange sensation, to be wanted by another person, but the knowledge that she made the Queen happy filled her with a joy she had never before experienced.

And then she came crashing back down to earth. Elsa viewed her as a friend. Maybe very close friend. But if Anna stayed, her attraction to the monarch would become all too clear, and the connection they shared would shatter so painfully that the redhead doubted she would ever recover.

"Y-your Majesty, I...you mean a lot to me too," she said softly.

"Then stay here," Elsa prompted. "It would cost me nothing to allow you to live here permanently."

"Permanently?" Anna sputtered. Her heart ached with longing. To live in the castle for the rest of her life...it sounded like a dream come true. She couldn't believe that Elsa was making the offer, but it was a struggle to not immediately accept.

Stop tempting me! she mentally begged. I'm trying to the noble thing by leaving before I ruin what we already had, but you're really not making it easy!

The Queen appeared to sense her hesitation. "Please, Anna," she pleaded, a light of hope appearing in the monarch's eyes.

"I-I couldn't," Anna managed. "What would...everyone would criticize you for it!" She knew the words were true. The nobles who lived in or visited the Palace had never been subtle with the looks of contempt they gave her. Anna's presence had been tolerated by many only because of the now common knowledge of what she had done for the Queen, but even that only when so far. Many still doubted her story, especially some of the more traditionally minded lords.

The monarch nodded. "Maybe," she admitted. "But they will get over it. No one's going to revolt against the Ice Queen because she gave a room to a peasant girl who saved her life."

Anna stared at the ground, trying to find the strength to say no. "I..." she stopped as the Queen walked forward, taking Anna's hands into her own. "This castle is mine, Anna. I can do whatever I please with it. It's my home...and I want it to be yours too," Elsa admitted.

Home. The word made her skin tingle. She hadn't had a place to live in two years, and had long since resigned herself to the reality that that would never change. Now here was the Queen of Arendelle, offering her a place to live for the rest of her life. A really nice place to live.

"Why?" was all she could say. It was getting harder and harder not to cry.

Elsa looked at her curiously. "Why what?"

"Why do you want me around? I have nothing to offer. You're the Queen, you could have the company of whoever you wish. You don't need me," Anna argued.

The monarch shook her head. "Yes, I do. Nearly anyone else would just see the opportunity to become friendly with me as a way to gain an advantage in life. You...you're different."

Anna sighed. "All I've been doing since I got here is take advantage of you."

"Never intentionally," Elsa pointed out. "Everything I've done for you, I've done because I wanted to. And it's cost me nothing. You've made me happier than I've been in years, it's only right that I return the favor."

"I'm an awkward peasant girl without a drop of noble blood in her body or a respectable skill to her name. What makes me so special?" Anna demanded.

To her surprise, Elsa laughed. She gripped the redhead's hands tighter, making the former thief's skin tingle.

"Anna, I don't care who your parents were. All I see is the woman who was willing to give up her life for the small chance of rescuing a stranger. You're kind and brave and funny…and one of the only people I've ever actually enjoyed spending time with."

The redhead smiled slightly at her words.

"So, will you stay?" the Queen asked, a warm smile breaking out on her lips.

Anna looked up, staring into Elsa's eyes. "I...I don't know," she said. It was true. She was so tempted...a furious battle waged between her head and heart.

"Why not?" Elsa demanded, her face hardening.

"I...I can't. It wouldn't be right," she said, her mind temporarily overpowering her emotions. "I get it...you want me around, but that's just because you've been isolated since your parents died. There are plenty of other people you could be friends with...who could make you happy."

The monarch's eyes narrowed. "Not like you have," she said, desperation now entering her voice.

"What do you mean?" Anna questioned uncertainly.

The Queen sighed heavily. Her face set into a look of determination, eyes filling with an emotion she couldn't identify. But what-

Elsa's hands reached up in a flash, grabbing hold of Anna's shoulders. The redhead barely had time to process the movement before the Queen pulled her close and smashed their lips together.

Anna's mind melted. She must be hallucinating, because this couldn't be real. The redhead had gone through a tumultuous life, but nothing had ever shocked her half as much as the sensation of Elsa's cool lips against her own. Her eyes saw stars.

The Queen was kissing her!

She was too stunned to react. Too stunned to even breathe. Anna tried to move, but she felt too lightheaded to even twitch her fingers. She could almost feel her blood pressure dropping dangerously as her brain continued to try and comprehend the impossible.

Her vision darkened as Elsa finally stepped back. The Queen said something in a soft voice, but Anna was already too far gone to hear. The redhead lost control of her legs, falling out of Elsa's gentle grip.

The world went black.


	15. Chapter 15

"And you're uncertain what caused her to fall unconscious, Your Majesty?"

Elsa sighed. "Yes," the Queen lied. "We were just talking, and then she collapsed. Is Anna going to be alright?"

The castle physician nodded. Following Anna's 'unexplainable' bout of fainting, the Queen had made certain that the redhead was still breathing before calling for. An expert on all medical matters, he had served the Palace's residents well for over two decades.

While waiting for him, the Queen had infused the unconscious girl with a dosing of her magic, an attempt that closed the cut on the redhead's wrist but failed to wake her up. Fortunately, Anna's breathing appeared normal; for all intents and purposes the former thief was sleeping peacefully. The physician had arrived to find Anna tucked in bed, with the Queen watching over her anxiously.

That had been thirty minutes ago.

Now, the doctor nodded. "She appears to be fine. My guess is that her efforts in today's duel simply exhausted her. I'm confident she will awake in a few hours."

Elsa thanked and dismissed him. Now that she knew the redhead's health wasn't in danger, the Queen could now turn her worry to the issue that had begun the whole mess.

She had kissed Anna.

It hadn't been planned, despite Rapunzel's advice. But she had been able to tell that the redhead was going to need some more convincing, and Elsa hadn't been able to bring herself to actually say the words. In a moment of desperation the Queen had taken the quick option and forced their lips together.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

The part of her that had hoped for a pleased reaction from Anna had quickly been disappointed. Instead of kissing her back, the redhead had fainted right after Elsa had pulled away, her mind evidently succumbing to shock.

The Queen was of half a mind to run away and allow Anna to wake up on her own. But a stronger part of her brain resisted the urge. She needed to stay. Needed to apologize. If nothing else, maybe Anna could forgive her and they could remain friends.

How could she have done that? Wishful thinking had driven her to hope that somehow, Anna would reciprocate her feelings. Only now did she understand how foolish that had been. The redhead was of course attracted to men, just like nearly every other woman in the kingdom was, and now Elsa would pay for her rashness.

Elsa couldn't wait to find her cousin after she spoke to Anna. Find her and tear her apart. This had all been Rapunzel's idea, after all.

She'll never talk to me again, thanks to you! Why the hell did you tell me to-

Elsa sighed, staring out the window and into the courtyard. The thoughts were unfair, and she knew it. Perhaps the advice had been foolish, but deep down her cousin had just been trying to be helpful. In truth, the real person the Queen was angry at was herself. Both for her ridiculous feelings and for being naive enough to act upon them.

"Uuuugh," a voice on the bed groaned.

Elsa whipped around, her heart racing. Filled with rapidly increasing stress, she watched as the redhead slowly regained consciousness, blinking her eyes open.

"Your Majesty?" she asked sleepily, pupils focusing on the Queen. "What-what happened?"

The monarch's heart leapt. Perhaps Anna didn't remember!

"We were talking, and you fainted," Elsa lied again. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Anna replied, clearly trying to clear herself from her daze. "Why did-"

A flash of recollection lit up the redhead's face. Anna's eyes zoomed on the Queen's lips, and Elsa knew the game was up.

"You...did you...?" the redhead sputtered, face contorted in utter shock.

Elsa bit her lip. For a moment, she considered denying it and claiming that Anna's last memories were from a dream. But the Queen knew that it wouldn't work, and the ploy would probably only anger the redhead more.

She stared at the ground, nodding sadly. "Yes, Anna. I did. I...I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't bear the thought of you leaving the Castle without...without knowing how I feel about you. I'm sorry," she admitted.

Anna's eyes widened. Elsa had never seen the redhead look as shocked as she did at that moment, even compared to their first meeting.

"You...you...?" Anna gasped.

Elsa sighed. "Yes, Anna. I know I shouldn't. It's wrong. It's insane. But I...I have feelings for you. I shouldn't have come onto you like that, you didn't deserve...I'm sorry," she said again. Gods, the Queen couldn't remember a time when she'd been more flustered.

Anna continued to stare at her, mouth slightly agape. For once, she appeared to be at a complete loss for words.

"If there's anything I can do to make you forgive me..." Elsa trailed off.

For another few painful moments, Anna was silent.

"Perhaps there is one thing," she finally said. The redhead's face remained stoic, but with one hand she beckoned the monarch closer.

Elsa hurriedly made her way to the bedside. "Anything, Anna," she promised, meaning the words completely.

In a flash, the girl's arms flew out of the covers and seized the monarch by the shoulders.

"You could do it again."

Elsa perceived a massive grin spreading across Anna's face just before the redhead pulled her down. Once again, their lips slammed together.

The Queen briefly froze in shock as Anna began to kiss her hungrily. Within a moment, however, her own passions took over, and she returned the kiss with equal force.

Yes! Yes! Yes! she thought, her mind incapable of processing anything else.

The two women continued the kiss as Elsa unconsciously moved to lay in the bed beside the redhead, Anna shifting over slightly to give her space.

The former thief's hands moved from the Queen's shoulders to her hair. Soon, her fingers were reverently weaving their way through Elsa's blond locks.

At last, they had to part for air. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, both of their faces burning red. Anna's hands continued to stroke the Queen's hair.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this," Anna murmured as she continued her ministrations.

Elsa smiled brightly. "Waited for what?" she asked teasingly. "Kissing me or assaulting my hair?"

Anna grinned. "Worshipping your hair," she corrected. "And both."

The Queen nodded. Gods, she couldn't remember a time when she's been this...indescribably happy. Part of her still couldn't believe it. Anna wanted her; it seemed to good to be true.

The redhead pulled her in for another kiss, an act that the monarch gladly reciprocated. This time was slower, less hungry yet somehow more intimate.

With a jolt of surprise, she felt Anna's tongue poking at the edge of her lips. Elsa hesitated only a second before allowing the redhead access to her mouth.

Their tongues began to dance, bestowing upon Elsa a sensation stranger yet more pleasurable than anything she'd yet know. Anna moaned into the kiss, a sound that filled the Queen with satisfaction. Her own fingers now darted out, seizing Anna's right braid and running along the now almost fully blond streak in the otherwise red hair.

It was another thirty seconds before they parted again.

As they took in one another, Anna's face fell. "I'm dreaming," she said half seriously, pulling her hands back from the Queen's hair.

Elsa giggled. "You're not. I promise," she assured the redhead.

Anna looked at her doubtfully. "So, you...like me?" she questioned nervously.

The monarch nodded. "That's obvious by now, don't you think?" She smiled.

The former thief laughed nervously. "I guess," she said. "I...well, I've had a crush on you pretty much since we met," she admitted, the words making Elsa's heart leap. "But I…I can't believe..."

"It took me a while to realize," the Queen revealed. "I'd never given thought to the possibility that I...women...you know. But after a while, I realized I looked at you as more than a friend. I didn't know how to tell you."

Anna glanced at her uncertainly. "So...what now?" she asked, an edge of nervousness in her voice.

Elsa regarded her curiously. "I don't know," she admitted. "I've never had any experience with...this...before. I guess we take it one step at a time."

"You...you want to be with me?" Anna asked in disbelief.

The Queen smiled and nodded. "It appears as if we're courting now...if that's what you want."

Anna stared at her. "Of course that's what I want!" she gasped. "But you...can you...I-I mean, I'm me, and you're the Queen..."

"It will be fine, Anna. I'm not saying that no one's going to take issue with..."

"With the Queen dating both a woman and a commoner?" Anna supplied for her, looking nervous as she said the words.

Elsa nodded. "But I don't have to worry about an heir, thanks to my extended family. It might not be easy, we'll have to play this wisely, but we will make this work," she promised.

A wide grin appeared on the redhead's lips. "Okay," Anna nodded. "So...is this a secret, or..."

Elsa bit her lip. "The last thing I want you to think is that I'm ashamed of this, Anna. But for now, yes, it should be kept a secret. Rapunzel, Kai, and Gerda should be told, but no one else. For now."

"I understand," Anna said. "But for how long? There's no way we can hide this forever."

"No, we can't. And I don't want to," Elsa agreed. "We'll take it day by day. Maybe the rumor mill will do our work for us. Slowly, it'll leak out, and most people will gradually come to accept the idea. Some never will, of course, but I think allowing the news to spread out slowly will cause less controversy than an official announcement informing everybody all at once," she explained. "Once enough people have at least gotten used to the idea, then we'll announce it."

Anna nodded happily. "As long as I get to be with you, I don't care," she said, reaching out and resuming her soft strokes of Elsa's hair. "The answer is yes, by the way."

Elsa looked at her, confused. "Yes to what?" she asked.

"Your offer. I'll stay in the Castle as long as you want me here. Part of the reason I was going to leave was because I knew it was only a matter of time before I slipped up and let you know how I felt. Honestly," she laughed slightly, "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner."

Elsa frowned. In hindsight, perhaps she had been a bit oblivious to Anna's feelings. The redhead had called her gorgeous more than once.

"A shame," the Queen agreed. "I could have started kissing you a week sooner."

Anna grinned. "Let's make up for lost time," she offered, pulling the monarch in for another kiss.

After another few moments of bliss, Elsa reluctantly pulled back. Anna stared at her longingly.

"We'd better get going," she said reluctantly. "Rapunzel will be wondering what happened to us, and my cousin's never been known for her patience.

The redhead nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty," she said dramatically, hopping out of the bed. The Queen smiled up at her.

"From now on, call me Elsa," she said.

Anna looked up at her, surprised. "But, uh, Your Majesty, wouldn't that be..."

"Only when we're alone, for now," the Queen added. "But I think it's safe to say we're on a first name basis," she grinned, placing a quick kiss on Anna's lips. As she pulled back, the redhead beamed up at her.

"Sure...Elsa," Anna said slowly, as if testing how the name felt on her tongue. "Ready?" she asked brightly. The Queen nodded.

/

Anna felt like she was floating as the two women walked to Elsa's study. Part of her still couldn't believe it. The Queen had feelings for her.

In spite of seemingly a million to one odds, the monarch had turned out to not only be attracted to women in general but also to Anna in particular. Somehow she, a girl with a less respectable background than a common farmer, had won the affections of both the ruler of Arendelle and the most gorgeous woman in the kingdom.

Anna still wasn't certain that this wasn't just a dream.

Her lips still tingled from where they had kissed. In a pleasant way, of course. Elsa certainly wasn't the first girl she had made out with, but never before had a kiss felt so...real.

The Queen walked beside her. In a noticeable departure from the norm, Elsa's eyes appeared unfocused, as if the monarch wasn't fully in tune with the world around her.

This as just as surreal to her as it is to me, Anna realized with a smile.

The duo passed the last checkpoint of guards that protected Elsa's study. As per usual, the redhead garnered some strange looks, but no one would question her presence while the Queen accompanied her.

Elsa opened the door, and the two women walked into the Royal Study. In one of the room's two chairs sat a familiar brown pixie cut. At the sound of the door opening, Rapunzel swiftly sat up from her chair and turned to face the new arrivals. A look of blatant curiosity dominated her face.

A brief moment of awkward silence passed. Anna wasn't sure what to say. The Queen had said that Rapunzel should be told of their courtship, but the redhead figured that Elsa would like to be the one to tell her cousin herself. Anna wasn't even sure if the Princess knew of the monarch's...atypical preferences.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna perceived the Queen give a small, silent nod to the Coronan Princess. Instantly, a triumphant smirk appeared on Rapunzel's face.

"I knew it!" she shrieked. "Are you two together now? Tell me everything!"

"Uh..." Anna started.

"My cousin pieced together that I had feelings for someone," Elsa explained, "And she eventually realized that it was you. It was partially thanks to her...encouragement that I...well..."

"Kissed me?" Anna supplied. The Queen's blush intensified, but she nodded.

"Aww, you kissed? That's adorable," Rapunzel giggled.

The redhead grinned despite the appearance of her own blush. Unconsciously, she reached out for the Queen's hand.

"Yes, we're courting now," Elsa said, regaining some of her composure as she laced her fingers with Anna's. "For the moment, we're only letting those we trust know; I'm not sure how the kingdom is going to react. We'll tell everyone eventually, but first I'm going to let the rumor mill...test the waters, as it were."

The Princess nodded.

Finally, Elsa and Anna moved to sit down. The redhead made to break away from the Queen and sit in her usual seat but Elsa held onto her. Anna was gently dragged over to the other side of the desk. Smiling, Elsa sat down in her large blue chair before pulling the redhead down with her. There was just enough room for the two of them.

Surprised, Anna turned to the monarch, but Elsa only smiled at her before wrapping an arm around Anna's shoulders and pulling her closer. She happily complied, taking advantage of the opportunity to rest her head in the crook of Elsa's neck. Warmth spread from the point of contact, seeming to engulf her own body.

A playful humming from the other side of the desk made her look up.

"Elsa and Anna sitting in a tree," Rapunzel sang merrily. "K-I-S-S-I-N-ack!"

The Princess broke off as a conjured snowball impacted her shoulder, shattering all over her dress.

"So this is the thanks I get," she muttered as she tried to dust herself off.

Elsa smirked apologetically. With a wave of her hand, the moisture disappeared.

"I don't envy you, Anna," the Princess said as she sat back down. "My partner has a silver tongue, but at least he can't hit me with snowballs when we argue."

Anna grinned. "Maybe. But Elsa's magic definitely has some advantages...Your Highness," she added hastily. The redhead winced. In her Elsa-induced haze, she'd nearly forgotten the Princess's title.

Rapunzel grinned. "Oh, please. Just call me Rapunzel. We're all friends here, aren't we?"

Anna stared at her incredulously. "Uh...okay!" she nodded after a moment's hesitation.

Gods. Now she was on a first name basis with two of the three most powerful women in the world. She looked around, taking in the fact that she was practically sitting in the lap of the ruler of Arendelle's lap, and in the presence of the Princess of Corona to boot.

If you had told me a month ago that this is where I'd be...

/

Thethree women talked for another hour. Rapunzel delighted in prodding them about their new relationship, and Elsa was happy to let Anna do most of the talking.

Never had the monarch been so happy. Still, a nagging voice pressed at her from the back of her mind. What would her mother and father think? They had permitted same-sex marriages during their reign, but if they would have tolerated such an attitude from their own daughter...Elsa honestly couldn't say.

Plus, Anna was a commoner; not a drop of noble blood ran in her veins. And she was a former criminal. A sick, twisted part of her mind couldn't help but think, just for the tiniest moment, that perhaps she was lucky in a way that her parents hadn't survived. There was every chance they would have disapproved of this relationship.

The Queen shook the thoughts aside. Of course she wanted her parents back, but what was done was done. Their opinions were now irrelevant, and dwelling on them would accomplish nothing.

Her aunt and uncle on the other hand, she wasn't worried about. Rapunzel had assured her that they had nothing against two women being together, and they had been happy to bless their own daughter's less than traditional relationship. It was certain that they would be surprised, but Elsa was confident that they wouldn't be displeased.

She slowly ran her hair through Anna's blond streak. Even though it was still potentially dangerous, part of Elsa couldn't help but revel in the magical connection she shared with her lover.

Lover. Was that what they were now? No, not technically, she realized. Not until they...Elsa's face grew red at the thought.

One thing at a time.

As the sun fell in the window behind her, Elsa completely tuned out of the conversation, content to simply enjoy Anna's presence. The other two women in the room continued to talk.

Of course they are. They both love to babble, the Queen thought with a smile.

She wondered how Anna was feeling right now. Hopefully, the redhead was as happy as she was with recent developments. Still, Elsa couldn't imagine how strange this entire situation must be to her. Being in a relationship was surreal to her, and she wasn't the one dating a monarch.

The Queen knew that not everyone would be as accepting of Anna as her cousin. They would say she was unrefined and classless, lacking an elegant bone in her body. And to an extent, they would be correct. But Elsa didn't care about any of that. What she did care about was Anna's pure heart, inner strength, and boundless determination. Maybe the redhead would never be the most skilled negotiator at the table, but Elsa couldn't imagine anyone she'd rather have at her side.

What impressed her most about Anna was how she had preserved through all of her difficulties. Despite going through some of the worst situations the world had to offer, the redhead had never lost herself. Sure, she had been forced to resort to thieving, but Anna had gone about it in a way that had ensured that her actions hurt no one.

Anna had indeed gone through a lot of hardship. But her days of poverty were over. Even if, somehow, their courtship didn't work out, Elsa would do everything in her power to ensure that the redhead in her arms never wanted for anything again.

And Elsa had a lot of power.

She wasn't naive. Keeping Anna clothed and fed would solve most of the redhead's former worries, but it would also create new ones. She'd forever be in the company of the nobility, some of whom would never have an ounce of respect for Anna even if she was responsible for saving the entire world. But the Queen would shield her from that as best she could.

At last, Elsa had to call their meeting to an end.

"I'm sorry, but I have to complete preparations for the ball," she apologized.

Anna groaned. "You mean you haven't finished them yet? You started two days ago!"

"Yes, but I had some...distractions," Elsa said slyly.

Anna blushed. "I guess," she agreed. "Anyway, I'm going to find Drell and tell him the news. I'm not going to say anything about us," she added after feeling Elsa's body tense.

"I'll just tell him our excuse for why I'm staying in the castle. Wait, do we have an excuse for why I'm staying in the castle?"

Elsa frowned. No, they didn't, and for the moment they would need one. Suddenly, an idea entered her mind. A crazy, ludicrous idea, but perhaps also a brilliant one.

"I'll think of something," Elsa promised. "For now, don't tell him anything yet unless you see him. Anyone asks, for now just say I've invited you to stay for the ball."

Anna looked at her uncertainly but nodded. "Yes, Yo...Elsa. Gods, that's going to take some getting used to," she murmured.

"Right. Well, unfortunately, I have work to do. Get some rest Anna, you've had a long day," she advised.

"I'm- ah not tired," Anna said through a yawn.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "You defeated a Swordmaster in single combat and fainted for over half an hour. Go to bed. Royal decree," she ordered with a smile.

Anna giggled. Reluctantly, she removed herself from Elsa's lap and stood up.

"Yes, my Queen," Anna replied. Sarcasm laced her voice as she bowed deeply. The redhead bid Rapunzel goodnight and left the room.

"You should get some rest too," Elsa said to her cousin.

"I'm not your subject," her cousin pointed out. "Anyway, we need to talk."

The Queen looked at her curiously. "About Anna?" she questioned nervously. "Am I doing something wrong? I'm new to...this sort of thing."

Rapunzel shook her head. "No, not yet, anyway. You did invite her to the ball, right?"

Elsa nodded. "I told her days ago," she said.

The Princess frowned. "And of course, you had to. But I would be careful during the gala," she advised.

"I know some people..." she stopped upon seeing the skeptical glare in Rapunzel's eyes. "Okay, pretty much everyone, isn't going to be happy she's there. I'll be keeping an eye on her," Elsa promised.

Anna would be the only guest in the room who was not a noble or a royal. Technically, the Queen was entitled to invite whoever she wanted to the event, but the presence of a commoner at such an important function would be almost unprecedented. Elsa knew the redhead was aware that some would not be welcoming to her, but the Queen had decided not to inform her of the scandal that her presence would cause. The more nervous Anna was, the less graceful she became.

The Princess nodded. "I had trouble during my first ball," she said, "And I was the recently returned Lost Princess. I'll help you make sure she stays out of trouble."

"Thank you," Elsa replied gratefully.

Rapunzel got up, preparing to leave, but then turned around. "And try not to dance with too many handsome Lords," she advised.

The Queen swallowed nervously as her cousin left the room. Hopefully, Anna wasn't the jealous type.


	16. Chapter 16

Anna grinned as she laid down in her bed, running her hands along the smooth velvet blankets. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered to the sheets. After nearly a month in the Castle, the redhead wasn't sure how she would have adjusted to living on her own again. And now she wouldn't have to. What had Elsa said? "This is my home, and I want it to be yours too."

It appeared as if the Arendelle Royal Palace was her home now. She shivered in pleasure as her mind processed the thought. For over two years, Anna hadn't had a place to call her own, sleeping in inns when she could and alleyways when she could not. And now she lived... The redhead looked around, taking it all in. This was her bed. This was her room.

Okay, technically it belonged to the Queen, but Elsa had made it clear that they were for Anna's use as long as she wanted them. And once the monarch had admitted her feelings, all of her misgivings about remaining in the castle had faded away. Well, most of them. Anna still felt a little uneasy about being provided a room for essentially nothing, but she'd find a way to make herself useful before long.

Gods, she couldn't believe her good luck. After a lifetime of struggle, it appeared that her perseverance was finally paying off.

I'm courting the Queen. I'm courting the Queen, her mind repeated. Even hours after the kiss, part of Anna was still in disbelief.

Anna was beyond happy that Elsa reciprocated her feelings. But now, sitting alone in her room, she couldn't stop the doubt from penetrating her mind. What had made Elsa interested in her? Her looks? Personality? Or simply the fact that she had saved the Queen's life? The monarch had stated that she hadn't even known she was attracted to women; now that she did, would her eyes find someone better?

She sighed. For now, all the redhead could do was hope that it lasted.

/

Anna stood on the top of a rocky cliff, watching the world tear itself to pieces around her. The ocean far below churned, waves appearing to struggle against one another. A furious downpour stretched as far as the eye could see, quickly soaking the redhead to the bone. Wind whipped across her face, pushing against her body so powerfully that Anna nearly collapsed to the ground.

Lightning of unnatural colors flashed across the sky. Bursts of red and dark blue blazed in the air, briefly illuminating the dark storm that raged above. Behind her, she could see a forest, but the once living trees were now consumed by an orange inferno.

A bolt of white lightning impacted the rock fifty feet behind her, the heat so overpowering that her eyebrows threatened to combust. She stumbled back, desperate to get clear of the blast.

Clashes of thunder accompanied every flash, each loud enough to make her ears bleed. She looked around, trying to get a sense of where she was, but Anna's eyes were drawn to the scenes of devastation that surrounded her, each worse than the last. Suddenly, a deep, booming voice spread throughout the world.

"Enough!"

/

A loud yet gentle knock sounded on her door. Anna scowled as she awoke from her sleep. Elsa was right; she really had been exhausted. A quick outside her window revealed that it was still the early hours of the morning. She couldn't remember her dreams, but a sense of unease lingered at the edges of her consciousness.

Shutting her eyes, the redhead laid back down to bed, but the knock sounded again.

"Who is it?" she groaned.

"Rapunzel," called a familiar voice.

"Rap...Rapunzel?" she yawned, turning over in the bed. Suddenly, Anna's eyes bolted open. "Princess Rapunzel!" she shouted. The redhead jumped out of the bed, desperately flattening her typical morning hair in the process, and ran over to the door.

"Your Highness," Anna bowed. There in the doorway stood Princess Rapunzel of Corona, wearing a white dress and her usual warm smile.

"I told you, call me Rapunzel," the Princess chided.

Anna nodded. Referring to royalty on a first name basis was going to be awkward, but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

"Okay...uh, Rapunzel," she replied. "What can I do for you?" she asked, realizing just to late that it sounded rude. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, because I am, really, I just...uh...not sure why..."

The Princess giggled. "I see why Elsa finds you cute," she started, making Anna's face turn bright red. "Anyway...they're finishing up preparations for the ball today, and since it's sort of in my honor, I'm supposed to spend some time away from the castle so I'm surprised by the final product. They don't want me here when they're bringing everything in."

"Riiight..." Anna nodded, not sure where she was going with this.

"And since Elsa's going to be busy all day setting up, I was wondering if you would like to join me for a carriage ride around the city. It's been ages since I've toured Arendelle's capital, and I'd hate to go alone."

Anna hesitated only for a brief moment. Evidently, the Princess wanted to get to know her cousin's new...companion. She was a bit nervous about spending time alone with a royal who wasn't Elsa, but the other woman's warm smile quickly assuaged her fears.

"That sounds great!" she replied.

\

Thirty minutes later, the two women were walking into the Castle's entrance courtyard side by side. Anna had wanted to see Elsa on the way, but Kai had informed her that the Queen was busy preparing for the party at the other end of the palace. Leaving a message with the seneschal (though not telling him of her relationship with the monarch, when to do so was Elsa's decision) she reluctantly left without so much as a glimpse of the Queen.

A cluster of Rapunzel's guards surrounded them, still looking at Anna warily despite the Princess's proclamation that the redhead was her guest. Walking up to a closed blue carriage pulled by two of the finest horses Arendelle had to offer, the two women climbed inside and shut the door behind them. The world outside remained visible through two large windows on each side of the vehicle.

Anna settled herself onto the plush red leather bench opposite the Princess. "So, where are we headed?" she asked curiously.

Rapunzel shrugged. "Nowhere in particular, really. I just want to see how everything's changed since the last time I was here," she explained. "We'll head around the perimeter of the city, stop at the harbor for a few minutes...I hear they've got there's a pretty good chocolate shop on the way."

Anna grinned. "Elsa told you about my love of chocolate?" she questioned as the carriage started moving.

"Hmm-mmm. You're pretty much all she talks about."

"Really?" Anna asked, surprised.

The Princess nodded. "I've never seen her so happy before, even considering the years before...before they died," a flicker of sadness appeared in Rapunzel's eyes as she spoke of the aunt and uncle she'd never had the chance to meet.

"That's...I hope you're right," Anna replied.

The Princess looked at her curiously. "You don't think so?" she asked.

The redhead sighed. "No, I do, it's just..."

"You're afraid that Elsa's going to find someone else and get over you, because she's the Queen and you're a nobody?"

Anna stared at Rapunzel. "How...how did you...?"

"Know what you were thinking? Because my husband had the same fears when we first got together. I was the lost Princess, and he was a former thief pardoned by the crown because he rescued me," she explained. The look the Princess gave her left Anna with no doubt that she was fully aware of all the parallels.

"You know about my...uh, past, then I take it?" Anna said, biting her lip nervously. Rapunzel nodded.

"Elsa told me," she replied. "And I care about it just about as much as she does. Which is, to say, not at all."

Anna breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, Rapunzel's lack of reaction probably shouldn't have surprised her, given the man she'd chosen to be her Prince-Consort, but it was still nice to hear the words.

"Anyway," Rapunzel continued, "He was paranoid that I would fall for some handsome Prince and leave him to marry fellow royalty. Just as you're worried that Elsa will find some Princess."

Wow. Rapunzel was smarter than she looked.

"Yeah," Anna admitted sadly.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told him when I found out," the Princess said. "You have nothing to worry about."

"But I'm...I mean, I have nothing to offer!" Anna pointed out, her emotions flowing freely now. "I'm all awkward and ungraceful and don't know how to eat at the dinner table, and..."

Rapunzel cut her off with a firm look. "Yes. Sometimes those things are true," the Princess agreed. "But Elsa doesn't care about any of that. If it was good manners and poise she was after, she would have married years ago."

"So what is she after?" Anna couldn't help but ask. "What does she see in me?"

Rapunzel laughed at her question. Laughed.

"I'm sorry, but it's just so obvious," she said as Anna glared at her. "You're cute, for one. And you're funny. But really, I think it's because of your heart."

"My heart?!" Anna sputtered.

The Princess nodded. "Let me ask you, Anna. When you were trying to save the Queen, what was going through your head?"

"That I couldn't leave an innocent women to...to whatever they were going to do to her," she answered without hesitation.

"Exactly. You're so kind and brave that you were willing to put everything on the line for the smallest of chances to save a woman you barely knew. That right there is something that makes a person special, and that's why Elsa fell for you."

Anna smiled at the praise, a warm glow filling her. Maybe Rapunzel was right. Something had made Elsa fall for her, and it certainly wasn't Anna's intelligent mind.

"She's crazy about you," the Princess assured her. "So stop worrying and enjoy it. Eugene was a lot easier to be around after he finally dropped the paranoia. Obviously, you should try to avoid offending any nobles, but don't think that you have to be someone you're not. Elsa fell for you, not some 'perfect' proper Princess. Continue to be yourself, and you have nothing to worry about. Remember, she's probably just as nervous about this as you are. Elsa has zero experience with relationships."

"That's not the only thing I'm worried about," Anna admitted.

The Princess looked at her curiously. "Is it about adjusting to life in the Castle? It takes some getting used to, but you'll get the hang of it before long. I had to go through the same thing; if you have any questions, you can ask me."

She shook her head. Truthfully, the only emotion she could muster about her stay in the castle at this point was elation. The thought of never having to worry about hunger or shelter ever again vastly outweighed her fears of being snubbed by nobles. But there was certainly something frightening her.

"I appreciate it, but that's not it. It's about Elsa's safety," Anna explained.

Rapunzel frowned. "She has magic more powerful than we can comprehend, not to mention the guards that constantly surround her. What could happen to her?"

Anna sighed. "She's still mortal. Anyone could take her by surprise...what do you think happened the first time we met?"

"That only happened because two Royal Guards betrayed her," the Princess pointed out. "The chances of that happening again are slim."

"Maybe," Anna agreed. "But I don't think those three men were working alone. There's someone out there who still wants to get her. And eventually, they will try again."

"And they'll be stopped before they can even get close," Rapunzel said confidently. "Elsa's told me they're looking into it and increasing her protection. Trust me, Anna, you don't have to worry about her safety. Elsa can handle herself, and even if she couldn't, her guards are some of the most skilled fighters in the kingdom."

Anna nodded uncertainly. The Princess had a point, but her fears were not completely assuaged. No matter how powerful Elsa was, the Queen remained vulnerable. And the redhead would rather die than see Elsa get hurt.

\

They spent most of the next three hours either in comfortable silence or making light conversation as they surveyed the city. Anna had never exactly been the type for sightseeing, but she couldn't deny that the city was impressive. Rapunzel certainly enjoyed herself, and her happiness was almost infectious.

The highlight of the trip, of course, was the stop at the Chocolate Emporium on the way back up from the harbor. Anna had a brief moment of panic as they stepped inside and she saw the prices; the amount of money she carried equated to approximately zero. Fortunately, the Princess insisted on buying her a large selection of sweets. Anna was initially reluctant, but the alliance of her love of chocolate and Rapunzel's dazzling grin proved more than a match for her hesitation.

As they walked out of the shop and back towards the carriage, the redhead noticed a group of me standing in one of the city squares, hanging up some kind of decorations.

"What are they doing?" she asked, gesturing to the workers.

Rapunzel followed her gaze. "Oh! They're probably getting ready for the Winter Solstice," she explained.

Anna nearly slapped a palm to her forehead. How had she forgotten? The biggest holiday of the year, and it was only...five days away.

Given the multitude of religions that existed in Arendelle, the kingdom had long ago decided to designate a single date as its biggest holiday of the year. The solstice was chosen, both because many of the aforementioned faiths celebrated their individual holidays on or near that date and because of the kingdom's affinity with the winter. Ice was one of its biggest exports, after all. Anna hadn't been able to partake in any of the festivities since she'd lived in the orphanage, both due to a lack of funds and a lack of friends to spend the day with.

She smiled. Maybe that was about to change.

"Does the Castle do anything for the holiday?" she asked.

Rapunzel shook her head. "The Castle? No." Anna's face fell.

"But the capital city itself has a grand festival, of course. Various performances, a thousand different kinds of food, sometimes even an unofficial tourney!" the Princess said excitedly. "The monarch always attends, of course."

"Are you staying for it?" Anna asked.

Rapunzel nodded. "I wasn't planning on doing so originally, but Elsa convinced me. It's been six years since I've attended. Besides, Eugene and my brother are still out on their trip, anyway. I'll be leaving the day after; I shouldn't be back to the Coronan Palace more than two days after they do."

They got into the carriage and sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, both enjoying the sweets they had purchased. Anna couldn't help but smile as she thought of the coming festivities. Hopefully, Elsa would ask Anna to accompany her. Given that she had been invited to the ball tonight (a far more formal event than the festival), the redhead judged it to be likely.

Speaking of the ball...

"Are you looking forward to tonight's party?" Anna asked, taking a break from her bites of chocolate as the carriage headed back towards the castle.

The Princess smiled. "I am, although I'm not sure that I'll ever get the hang of all the formalities. What about you?"

"I'm not sure," Anna admitted. "I mean, I'm grateful for Elsa inviting me, but I don't know if I'm ready for...you know."

Rapunzel sighed. "I understand. Plus, you and Elsa...pretending there's nothing between you, for now. You know she'll have to dance with about a dozen men before the night is up, right?"

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Why?" she asked bitterly.

"Because she has to keep up relations with other kingdoms," Rapunzel explained. "I'm not saying you have to enjoy watching it, but just remember that she only has eyes for you. She's keeping up appearances, that's it."

The redhead groaned. She understood perfectly, but the thought of Elsa dancing with someone other than herself made bile rise in her throat.

Guess I'm the jealous type, she thought to herself.

\

To her regret, she didn't see much of Elsa that night either. The Queen was consumed with the preparations for the gala. Her heart leapt when the monarch finally visited her room briefly after sunrise. They didn't have much time to talk, but Elsa decided to take their 'experiment' in an interesting direction.

"Mmmm," Anna moaned as the Queen brought her into a sweeping kiss. As their mouths locked, Anna felt the familiar sensation of the Queen's magic spread through her. The combined pleasurable sensations almost made her worried that she would faint again.

Once the magic had been administered and both women desperately needed air, they reluctantly pulled apart.

"Can we do it like that from now on?" Anna asked coyly.

Elsa smiled nervously. "…Sure. Whatever you want," she agreed. Suddenly, her face fell.

"What is it?" Anna asked.

The Queen sighed. "Anna...the ball tomorrow...:

"I know. You'll have to dance with a bunch of jerks. I don't like it, but I'm not blaming you. It's for Arendelle," Anna replied.

Elsa's eyes widened. "Thank you, Anna," she said gratefully. "But that's not the only thing I'm concerned about," the Queen admitted hesitantly.

"I'll be careful, I promise!" the redhead assured her. "The last thing I want to do is embarrass you."

The monarch shook her head sadly. "I know that, Anna. And I'm sure that you won't. But no matter what you do...your presence alone..." she stopped herself. "Just...no matter what anyone else does or says, remember that you have my support. I don't give a damn what the rest of the room thinks about you. Okay?"

Anna nodded. Really, she didn't see why the Queen was so worried. As long as she kept to herself, what did she have to fear?

"You don't have to go if you don't want to," she offered.

Anna stared at her. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" she said brightly. True, she was nervous, but she would never forgive herself for remaining in her room like a coward when Elsa and Rapunzel had fun downstairs.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then. I have to go," Elsa said sadly. She stepped forward, placing a soft kiss on the former thief's forehead. "I appreciate you understanding...you really are amazing, Anna, even if you don't know it."

With that, she placed a final kiss on the redhead's lips and walked out the door. Anna stared after her, lips still tingling. She smiled. Sure, Elsa was worried, but the Queen was probably overreacting.

How bad could one ball be?


	17. Chapter 17

Anna spent most the next morning in the central courtyard. Despite knowing that she now wouldn't have to compete in tournaments to make a living, she was still determined to keep up her skills. She and the Queen had decided to continue their experiment as long as it was safe. And despite the help she was receiving from Elsa's magic, Anna couldn't help but take some pride in her abilities. Finally, there was something other than climbing that she excelled at. And one day, what she was practicing might save her life.

Or someone else's.

She returned to her room at one in the afternoon. Even though Anna had been out in the sun for hours, the redhead had barely worked up a sweat. Even still, she decided to take a bath before the ball, determined to look her very best.

She smiled as she undressed herself in front of the mirror, admiring the streak in her hair. It was completely platinum blond now, the exact same color as the Queen's hair. Hopefully, no one would think anything of it. Or, at least, they would pass it off as a fashion choice. Finally, Anna slid into the hot water. The party was in three hours, and Anna had a feeling she would need all of that time to prepare herself.

Anna was just drying herself off when a knock sounded at her door. Swiftly changing into a set of temporary clothes, she opened the door to reveal a serving girl. The maid in front of her looked to be roughly fifteen years old; pitch black hair was complimented well by her bright green eyes. In her hands was a large, thin package covered in white paper.

"Kayla," she greeted.

The girl bowed. "Her Majesty asked me to attend to you tonight," she said warmly. "I'm here to assist you in preparing for the ball. Oh, and to bring you this, of course!"

Anna frowned, stepping aside to let the girl enter. Really, she had a servant to help her prepare for the ball? Maybe Rapunzel was right; this was going to take some getting used to.

Still, she appreciated Elsa looking out for her.

Kayla walked over to the bed, carefully laying the package on the sheets. Slowly, she unfurled the paper, revealing a...

A magnificent dress now laid across the bed. Most of it was a warm red; Anna's favorite color. It's bottom half was a light shade of orange that almost perfectly matched the shade of Arendelle's sunset. Golden lining (actual gold thread!) ran throughout the outfit, contrasting wonderfully with the scarlet in the upper half.

Anna approached it in wonder, marveling at the material. She ran her hands over the smooth silk, idly noting that the sleeves alone probably cost more than anything she had ever worn in her entire life.

"There's also a pair of heels I will fetch when it is time, Miss Anna," Kayla added. "Shall we begin with your hair?"

Wordlessly, Anna nodded, still in awe.

\

At four-thirty, she thanked Kayla profusely and began to walk down to the ballroom, more than satisfied with her appearance. The dress fit perfectly (Elsa had no doubt used the measurements gathered to prepare her armor.) The black heels she wore were fashionable but comfortable, and her hair had been corralled into an intricate style that showcased a single braid.

Hopefully, Elsa approved.

She nearly vaulted down the last set of stairs, beginning to walk down the final hallway that led to her destination. Already, she could hear the sounds of the party starting. The redhead rounded the corner to see a massive set of oak doors that now swung wide open, revealing the grand ballroom that they usually protected. Anna gulped nervously as she noticed two guards standing at the entrance. A line of people already stood before them, eagerly waiting their chance to enter the room. Taking a deep breath, she took her place in line, others soon gathering behind her.

Within two minutes, everyone in front of her had been cleared by the guards. She could now see a large chunk of the room beyond, and the scene was breathtaking. Couples danced magnificently across the spacious dance floor, in tune with both their partners and the other pairs. Dozens of people mingled off to the sides, standing in front of long tables decorated with a very impressive selection of foods and beverages.

Her eyes were so glued to a particularly large platter of chocolates that it took her a moment to register one of the guards moving to block her path.

"I believe you have the wrong room, Miss. This gathering is private. Please move along," he said coldly.

Anna dragged her vision away from the chocolate and stared right back into his eyes. Obviously, he knew who she was, and assumed that she was attempting to barge in.

"The Queen invited me," Anna explained quickly.

The guard raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he said sarcastically. "Our monarch decided to invite a commoner to her gathering?"

"Yes," Anna replied.

"Then I suppose you have an invitation?" he questioned skeptically.

The redhead nodded, reaching for her pocket. "Of course I-"

Immediately she realized two things. At the moment, she didn't have pockets. And more importantly, she didn't have an invitation.

"Uh..." her mind blanked. Anna's first thought was that Elsa didn't want her there after all, but she immediately realized how ridiculous the thought was. The dress alone was proof that the Queen intended for her to be present.

No. Elsa had simply forgotten to give her an invitation. She'd said one would be delivered to her room a few days ago, but with all the craziness that had happened over the last forty eight hours, the matter had probably slipped the Queen's mind.

"Thought so. Begone, we have lords and ladies to attend to, and you're holding up the line," the guard ordered.

"But..."

"Leave, or we will be forced to remove you," he threatened.

Anna bit her lip. What was she going to...?

"What is going on here?" said a familiar voice behind the line. Everyone turned around to see Princess Rapunzel standing in a magnificent blue dress, flanked by two Coronan Royal Guards.

"Apologies, Your Highness. This peasant is attempting to intrude upon the gala uninvited."

Rapunzel walked up to the front of the line, stopping right next to Anna. "This woman is an honored guest. I apologize for forgetting to bring her an invitation. Now please, let her pass."

The guard's eyes widened, but he nodded, allowing Anna to step through. Shooting the Princess a small smile, the redhead made her way through the crowds, quickly arriving at the chocolate platter she had spotted earlier. She noticed a few weird looks as she passed, but Anna didn't think much of it. She was an unfamiliar face to most of the guests, after all.

"Announcing Her Royal Highness, Princess Rapunzel of Corona, heir presumptive of Arendelle!"

The crowd murmured excitedly as the woman in question entered the room. Anna's first thought was to go thank her for the save, but the Princess was immediately surrounded by a mob of chattering guests. Sighing, the redhead decided to begin to indulge in the chocolate. She took a truffle into her mouth, savoring the smooth taste.

"Excuse me?" said a voice behind her.

Anna turned away from the chocolate to see a sharply dressed man standing before her. He had light brown hair, a smooth beard of the same color, and a pair of dark brown eyes.

"Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles," he said, bowing. "Would you care to join me for the next dance?"

Her first thought was hell no. She had eyes for Elsa, and only Elsa. But then again, refusing would probably not reflect well on Arendelle, and Anna was determined to not bring any shame upon the kingdom, even in the smallest of ways. Plus, part of her felt flattered that a Prince was asking her to dance, even if her memories of Alec still brought a chill down her spine.

And if the Queen expected her to understand why she had to dance with guests, then surely the reverse was also true. It had to be.

"It would be my honor, Your Highness," Anna replied. She curtsied (hopefully correctly) and accepted his outstretched arm, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.

She waited by his side nervously. The redhead knew how to dance, having learned in the orphanage, but it was never something she'd been particularly skilled at, and it was years since she practiced. Finally, the next song started, and the two of them stepped onto the dance floor.

Concentrating on the steps completely, she managed to avoid making a fool out of herself, but an awkward silence settled between them. Anna had grown comfortable in the presence of Elsa and Rapunzel, but she doubted she'd be so lucky with a royal for a third time. If she said something stupid, Hans wouldn't be so forgiving.

"I wasn't aware that there would be royalty here, other than Princess Rapunzel and the Queen herself, of course," she finally said as they continued across the floor.

Hans smiled. "Myself and three of my older brothers are present. The ball was planned on short notice, and ours was the only kingdom close enough to receive an invitation within the allotted time," he explained.

"Announcing Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

Their dance continued, but out of the corner of her eye, Anna perceived Elsa entering the room, flanked by a retinue of Royal Guards. Immediately, a mass of people moved forward to speak with the Queen, eager to be in her presence. Within a moment, she was out of view.

Anna was already jealous, and the monarch had not yet even had a dance yet.

"But enough about me," Hans was saying. "Tell me about yourself, my lady."

Anna snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, uh, I'm not a lady," she explained. At the questioning look in Hans's eyes, she continued. "I'm just Anna. A month ago I rescued the Queen from some thugs, and I've been staying here ever since. She was kind enough to invite me tonight."

Instantly, the Prince's face paled. "You're that commoner they're talking about?" he demanded. Stopping their dance, he looked around the room frantically, his eyes zooming in on a group of three men slightly older than he was. All three were looking at him in frank amusement.

"Who are-?"

But Hans had already released her arms. Without a word, the Prince left Anna's side, hurrying over to the men she presumed to be his brothers. As the redhead stood alone on the dance floor, the men immediately began to mock their younger sibling, laughing at his expense.

Face burning with shame, Anna walked off the dance floor, hurrying over to the side of the room as fast as her feet could carry her. Her entire being tensed in humiliation. It wasn't that she was attracted to Hans; she wasn't even interested in men, for the sake of the gods! But being abandoned in the middle of a dance didn't exactly improve her self-esteem.

What an asshole!

The audacity of a man to leave her in the middle of a dance, just because she wasn't a noble. Anna had known that some wouldn't welcome her presence, but she had never imagined anyone taking it that far.

Now I see why Elsa was worried, she thought.

For the next hour, Anna moved around the ball, either grabbing food from the snack table or trying to take up conversation with the other guests. But the night quickly went from bad to worse. Elsa and Rapunzel remained unreachable. The Queen in particular was a sought after dance partner, and all Anna could do in response was wring her hands in rage. Meanwhile, the majority of the nobles she encountered avoided her as if she had the plague. Not-so subtle whispering followed her everywhere she went.

Who is she?... Seriously?

How the hell did she get in here?

Did she sneak in? Should we call the guards?

Barely anyone would speak with her, and after the incident with Hans, not one man asked her to dance.

The last fact really pissed her off. It wasn't that she wanted to dance with them. Anna had seen herself in the mirror. She knew she looked good. Great, even. But apparently she was so low-class that even that couldn't allure one daring noble to make a play at her. It was so insulting that bile began to form in her throat.

A half hour in, the redhead violated one of her most sacred policies. Seizing a glass of wine she immediately downed the contents, groaning slightly as the liquid raced down her throat. A minute later, two more glasses followed.

She'd hoped the alcohol would help her relax and perhaps enjoy herself, but all it accomplished was to make her feel light-headed. It wasn't long before she developed a small headache.

After ninety minutes of misery, Anna had had enough. Angrily stuffing a final chocolate into her mouth, she marched through the crowd, heading for the exit.

The redhead was ten feet away from the door when she felt a gentle hand touch her arm.

"Would you care to dance?"

Anna whipped around. Standing there was Elsa, clothed as usual in a magnificent ice dress. Rather than its typical single braid, her hair was done up in an ornate style that kept all of the blond locks above her shoulders. Nestled in the white old strands was a silver tiara.

All around them, people were openly staring at the Queen, but Elsa's eyes were fixed on Anna.

"El...Your Majesty, are you sure?" she asked.

The Queen nodded. "If you would do me the honor," she smiled.

Anna smiled. "I would love to, my Queen," she replied, lowering herself into a curtsy before taking Elsa's arm. The redhead followed the monarch to the dance floor, noticing the looks of shock that appeared on almost every noble in the vicinity.

"What are you doing?" Anna hissed as they awaited the next song.

Elsa smirked slightly. "Dancing with the one person in the room that I actually wish to be partnered with," she whispered back.

The song began, a slow waltz with more than a touch of romantic undertones. Taking the lead, the Queen led her around the dance floor. Neither woman paid any heed to the aghast whispering that surrounded them.

"I thought this was a secret?" Anna muttered as Elsa twirled in her arms.

"Doesn't mean we can't give the rumor mill some assistance."

The five minutes their dance lasted were the sole amount of time that she enjoyed throughout the night.

"Rapunzel told me about what happened. I'm sorry. Things have just been so chaotic over the last few days...I forgot."

Anna shrugged. "It's fine. Remind me to thank her later though," she whispered.

When their dance was finally over, Anna reluctantly attempted to pull out of Elsa's grasp, but the Queen held onto her firmly.

"Could I tempt you with another dance?" Elsa questioned.

Anna smiled. One dance with the Queen wouldn't draw an obscene amount of attention, but two certainly would. The redhead doubted that any man had danced with her more than once.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

They moved across the dance floor again, Anna noting the blatant looks of shock and envy from half the room with no small amount of satisfaction on her part.

That's right. You can snub me all you want, but she's mine.

"Have you danced with anyone else?" the Queen questioned. With some satisfaction, Anna perceived a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Uh, sort of," the redhead replied.

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

Anna bit her lip. "It was Prince Hans, but he left me halfway through once he found out who I was," she explained.

Elsa's eyes narrowed dangerously. "He abandoned you in the middle of a dance?"

Anna nodded.

"Prince Hans...Prince Hans," the Queen mused. "Tell me Anna, have you ever heard of the time he spilt his glass of wine all over his shirt during a ball?"

The redhead giggled. "Seriously? When did that happen?"

Elsa looked over to the side of the room. Following the Queen's gaze, Anna's eyes found Prince Hans talking with his brothers, a glass of red wine in his hand. Just as he brought the rim of the cup to his lips, the redhead perceived Elsa twitch her index finger ever so slightly.

A small cry echoed throughout the ballroom. "Cold!" the Prince shrieked as he reflexively moved the glass away from his mouth. The wine sloshed from the cup, much of it landing on Hans' formerly pristine white coat. The rest of the liquid fell to the floor.

Anna stared at the scene with both amusement and awe. It wasn't hard for her to realize what had occurred. Elsa had super-cooled the wine, simultaneously using her powers to prevent it from turning to ice.

Continuing their dance as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Elsa turned back to Anna. "Did I also tell you about the time he slipped over said spilt wine and fell flat on his ass?"

Her index finger twitched again.

Desperate to dry himself off, Hans failed to notice the wine around his feet suddenly becoming very icy. The second he made a step toward the snack table, his right leg fell out from under him. With a loud crash, the Prince collapsed to the ground. People swarmed around him. Some to help, but many others to gawk at a royal's humiliation.

Another twitch of Elsa's finger. The redhead had a feeling the wine had turned to liquid again. She stared at the scene in shock.

"You shouldn't have," Anna breathed. "But I'm glad you did," she added with a smirk.

Elsa raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Anna. The Prince must simply learn not to be so careless in the future. Not to worry, I'm sure that the King of the Southern Isles will soon hear about this and ensure Hans receives the talking to he deserves."

Staring at the Queen's face, Anna couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for the beautiful woman in front of her.

Their second dance ended all too soon.

"I should go," Elsa said. "The ball should be over soon. Meet me in my study in thirty minutes," she whispered.

Anna nodded. Suddenly, remaining for the rest of the party didn't sound like such a bad idea.

\

Elsa couldn't help but smirk as she entered her study, remembering Hans's rather undignified retreat from the gala. She knew it had been foolish to abuse her powers for his humiliation, but the Queen didn't regret her actions. After all, she had been on the other side of the room, and no one had the slightest reason to suspect her.

It was only a minute after she closed the door behind her that a knock sounded upon it.

"Enter!" Elsa called.

The door opened to reveal one of her guards. "Pardon me, Your Majesty, but Miss Anna is requesting to speak with you. Shall I tell her you are occupied?"

The Queen shook her head, straining to keep a smile off her face. "No. Show her in," she ordered, moving to stand in front of her desk. "In fact," Elsa added as the guard turned to leave, "As of this moment, she now has walk-in privileges."

The man's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded and exited the room. Elsa didn't need to ponder the reason for his curiosity. Only a select few were permitted to enter her presence uninvited. Rapunzel and her other family members, Kai and Gerda (although they usually knocked regardless), and Royal Guards in the event that danger was presenting itself.

It would be a matter of weeks before the majority of the castle's residents suspected something was going on between the two of them. All according to plan.

Elsa smiled as the redhead in question entered through the still open door.

"Are you alright, Anna?" she questioned. With a flick of her wrist, a small blast of cool air slammed into the door, closing it and leaving them isolated from the outside world.

Anna stared at her. Without a word she darted forward, seizing the Queen's arms and pushing her towards the wall. Elsa struggled against her reflexively, but her efforts failed to make the redhead budge. For the first time, Elsa truly realized how strong Anna had become. Her arms remained slim, but the redhead now possessed so much strength that the Queen wouldn't be surprised if she could overpower the strongest man in the kingdom.

Her musing on their 'experiment' cut off as Anna gently but firmly pushed her back against the wall. Leaning forward, she captured the Queen's lips. Forced into a powerful kiss, Elsa quickly got over her surprise; within five seconds she was gladly reciprocating Anna's advances.

Unlike before, this time the redhead completely dominated their make-out session. Elsa wasn't exactly used to the loss of control, but as Anna forced her way into her mouth, she couldn't bring herself to care. She conceded to the redhead's will, allowing her access to wherever she desired.

Elsa's enjoyment dampened only slightly when she smelled the wine on Anna's breath. The alcohol was certainly contributing to the redhead's boldness, but in a selfish moment the Queen couldn't bring herself to care.

They broke apart for air, both of their faces flushed red.

"Anna, what are you...?"

"I'm thanking you," the redhead declared.

"For what?"

Anna smiled. "The dress, which is amazing, by the way. Letting me come to the ball. Humiliating that Prince. Not to mention...well, pretty much everything," she breathed, spreading her arms and gesturing to the castle around her.

"You don't have to thank me, Anna. You deserve this, and I'm glad to give you anything you desire," she assured the redhead. "Although...I wouldn't be adverse to another thank you..." Elsa added.

The alcohol was clearly affecting the monarch as well.

Taking the hint, Anna captured her lips once again. Elsa closed her eyes, but she could feel her partner's hands reach out and soothingly rub her platinum blond locks. The Queen hummed in pleasure, leaning forward and deepening the kiss.

"Ahem."

Elsa's eyes darted open to see Rapunzel standing in the doorway, an amused look on her face. Evidently, the two of them had been so wrapped up in each other that they had failed to notice her entrance.

"Now I know how my parents felt when they walked in on me and Eugene," the Princess noted as she shut the door behind her.

Reluctantly, the two women broke apart, Elsa staring at the floor sheepishly.

"Come on, let's sit down," the Queen said as calmly as she could. Anna let out a giggle as Elsa again dragged her to the monarch's personal blue chair.

Rapunzel raised her hands. "No, no, it's fine," she said. "I'll leave you two alone for now," the Princess added with a wink.

Elsa tried to find the willpower to tell her cousin that she was welcome to stay, but her mouth acted for her.

"Goodnight," the Queen said, her tone just a bit too eager.

"See you two tomorrow," Rapunzel replied, opening the door. As she left, Elsa could have sworn she heard the Princess mutter something sarcastically under her breath.

"Gods, what have I done?"

"Now that we're alone..." Anna said, leaning towards the monarch.

At that moment, Elsa finally remembered why she had wanted to see the redhead in the first place. Well...the other reason, at least.

"Wait a minute, Anna," she said. "We need to talk."

The redhead's face fell. "About what?" she asked nervously.

Elsa planted a quick kiss on the former thief's forehead. "Nothing to worry about," she said reassuringly. "I just thought you would want to know that I've found our...reasoning for you to remain in the Castle."

Anna looked at her, curiosity filling her eyes. "And?" she beckoned.

The Queen smiled. "Anna, who are you loyal to?"

The redhead frowned at the sudden question, but she answered automatically.

"You."

Elsa nodded. "Would you protect me with your life?" she asked.

The redhead stared at her. "I'd defend you to my last breath, Elsa, but why are you..."

"Because, Anna," she interjected. "I want you to be my personal attendant."

Anna frowned. "Your what?" she questioned.

"It's an old position. No one's occupied it in years, but basically it would mean that you would be my assistant," the Queen explained. "It would be your job to accompany me throughout my daily routine and aid me in my work. In practice, you would just be keeping me company."

The redhead frowned, uncertainty plain on her face. "Would…will people buy it? You could have anyone you wanted as your attendant, and there are a lot of people more qualified than me," Anna questioned.

Elsa nodded. "Perhaps. But I'm altering the duties of the position," she revealed. "Given recent events, some of my Council is concerned that the Royal Guards should not be relied upon entirely for my protection. Therefore, in addition to the usual responsibilities, it would be your duty to act as my guard. Everyone has seen your prowess; no one could argue that there is a better person to act as my defender."

"Your guard?" Anna repeated.

"Yes. Don't worry, I doubt that you will ever be in actual danger. It would be your duty to protect me, of course, but as we all know I am perfectly capable of defending myself. The odds of someone making it past my magic and getting close enough to threaten our lives are remote. Of course, if you don't want the position, I'm sure I could find..."

"No!" Anna interrupted. "It sounds perfect!" she grinned brightly. "I'd get to spend all day with you...and I would be able to protect you if anything happens again!"

Elsa frowned. "I doubt there will be another attack, Anna," she said.

"Maybe," Anna agreed hesitantly. "But you never know, and if anyone ever tried to attack you, I would want to be there."

Elsa smiled. The redhead's concern was misplaced, but it was so sweet that the Queen couldn't help but dart forward and kiss her once again.

"Will your advisors agree to this?" Anna questioned once they pulled apart.

The monarch shrugged. "Some will need some convincing," Elsa said. "But they'll get over it eventually. Meet me here at ten in the morning, and we'll head down to the next Council meeting," she ordered. Anna's eyes widened.

"I'll be...in the meeting?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Of course. It will be your duty to be with me throughout the day; obviously, that includes meetings as well."

"What about the other nobles? They all hated me..."

The monarch sighed, guilt rising in her throat. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what a scandal your presence would be; I didn't want you to be nervous."

At Anna's nod of understanding, she continued. "I wouldn't say that all of them hated you. Perhaps around half truly disliked you. The other half would probably not be so rude to you in private; they only wanted to avoid the stigma of socializing with you in public."

"You didn't," Anna pointed out.

"I'm the Queen," Elsa smirked. "I can do whatever I please. And if I want you to be my personal attendant, you can be my personal attendant."

Anna smiled. "If you're sure this is a good idea..." she trailed off.

The Queen grinned. "I'm very sure."

She pulled Anna into another kiss.


	18. Chapter 18

Per Elsa's suggestions, Anna made some changes to her usual outfit the next morning. In addition to her usual form fitting tunic and leather pants, the redhead strapped her sword's sheathe onto her belt. Confidently, she placed the weapon itself onto her person, noting with satisfaction how easily she could remove it from its covering and hold it in her hands.

The Queen may not believe that her security was truly at risk, but Anna was determined to take this duty seriously. Being the monarch's personal attendant was an enormous responsibility, and even though Elsa saw it mostly as their excuse for Anna to remain in the castle, the redhead was eager for the opportunity to earn her keep. More importantly, she was desperate to ensure the Queen's safety.

Anna pulled forth her weapon and held it between her fingers, giving it a few experimental swipes through the air. Every day, Elsa gave her a helping of magic, and every day the sword seemed lighter in her hands. She continued to grow stronger and faster, and she was loving it. And with these abilities, Anna became ever more suited to defending her Queen.

She placed the weapon back in its sheathe. Suddenly, the redhead frowned. True, the weapon itself was perfect, but perhaps it would be preferable to have more than one blade on her person. Even the strongest warrior could be disarmed, and if that happened Anna couldn't blast magic from her hands. Wearing two swords would be too cumbersome, but...

Anna hurried to her bottom drawer. She pulled it open to find her dagger waiting for her. Following the search of the bodies of the men they'd killed, Elsa had had the weapon returned to her. It was far less effective than a sword, but it had always served Anna when she needed it most.

The redhead shivered as she remembered the last time she'd used it. Stabbing a man in the neck and then throwing...gods, she still had nightmares about it. Regardless, it would be reassuring to have the dagger available as a back-up. Maybe she would ask Elsa to have a sheathe made for it.

"Let's see if I've still got my aim..." she murmured. She raised the knife, pinpointing a bare spot on the wall. Anna drew her wrist back slightly and then hurled the dagger at her target.

The blade whistled through the air so quickly that all her eyes could perceive was a streak of light blurring across the room. With a loud thunk, her knife impacted the wall point first, hitting with enough force that the metal sank hilt-deep into the stone.

Anna hurried over to the point of impact, mouth slightly agape. She wrapped the hilt with both hands and pulled, easily yanking the blade out of its confinement.

"Right on target..." she mused. Her eyes shot up, taking in the inch wide gash that had appeared in the wall.

"Oops," Anna winced. Maybe she should have used one of the practice dummies outside.

Right on cue, her door opened to admit Kayla brining in her breakfast. Anna turned around sheepishly, noticing the girl's eyes widen as she took in the wall.

"I was practicing..." she said weakly. A look of bemusement appeared on Kayla's face.

"Should I tell Gerda? She could have someone come fix it," the girl offered.

Anna nodded. "That would be great," she said. "But can you not tell anyone else? I'd rather word not go around that I'm damaging Castle property," the redhead requested.

An amused gleam appeared in Kayla's eyes, but she nodded. "Our secret," she promised.

Anna let out a sigh of relief. At least there was someone in the Castle other than Elsa and Rapunzel who didn't have it out for her.

As Kayla left, Anna pinned on an accessory Elsa had given her last night. It was nothing special at first glance; a gold-colored pin roughly an inch in diameter that was engraved with the Queen's seal. But the redhead wore it with pride.

According to Elsa, it marked her as the Queen's personal attendant.

\

"You remember our story?"

Anna nodded as they walked towards the Council Chambers together. Technically, it wasn't necessary for Elsa's advisors to approve of her new position, but it was certainly preferable that they at least accepted it. Obviously, answering questions about her past truthfully wasn't a good idea, so the two of them had created a fake backstory for Anna.

Elsa smiled at her as they passed the last checkpoint of guards and arrived at the doors. "They should all be here already. When we go in, let me do most of the talking," she advised. "In fact, don't say anything at all. Just stand behind me, lean against the wall, and act like you're ready to defend me to the death."

"That's not an act," Anna muttered as Elsa opened the doors.

The redhead immediately perceived that there were ten people waiting in the room, seven men and three women. The redhead only recognized one of them: Evangeline, the kingdom's head spymaster. Upon seeing the Queen, all ten rose out of their seats, but almost immediately all of their gazes shifted to Anna.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen," Elsa greeted as she strode over to the large chair at the end of the table, Anna following in her wake. Trying not to betray her nervousness, the redhead kept her face as stoic as possible as she took up a position behind the Queen's chair.

Elsa sat down calmly, her icy blue eyes roaming over the room. "I am sure that you are all curious as to the presence of my 'guest'," she began, indicating Anna with a twitch of her head. A few heads around the room nodded.

"I have taken your concerns about my safety to heart," the monarch continued. "Given both Miss Anna's demonstrated loyalty to the crown as well as her skills in combat, as evidenced by rescue of me and her victory over Swordmaster Vrael, I have asked her to take up the position of my personal attendant, with the additional duty as serving as my guard. Now, if we could-"

Seven voices interrupted at once as nearly every advisor in the room attempted to express their concerns. The loudest of which belonged to a large, broad chested man with graying hair. Upon his coat was the emblem of the Royal Guards.

"Your Majesty, you cannot be serious!" he protested. "You would replace the Royal Guards, an order that has protected your family for centuries, with a woman with no prior service or known background?!"

Elsa stared at him with a calm but firm gleam in her eyes. "I am not replacing anyone General. I have the utmost respect for your Order. I am simply supplementing my protection with an additional warrior that I trust, as we agreed upon earlier. Now, if there are no further concerns..."

"Your Majesty," Evangeline spoke up, eyeing Anna wearily. "As much as it pains me to admit it…I agree with Kale. While her abilities with a blade are apparent, the fact remains that we know nothing of her past. In effect, you will be allowing an armed woman into your presence at all times, a woman whose loyalties remain unclear."

A flare of anger ignited in Anna's chest. Her loyalties were unclear? She'd gone on a suicide mission to save Elsa, and that was before she'd fallen for her. Okay, perhaps the latter detail wasn't known to the rest of the castle, but the redhead had never done anything to raise the slightest suspicion of betrayal. She bit down on her tongue, doing her best not to let her outrage show on her face.

The Queen turned to her spymaster, irritation now laced with a hint of irritation. "Anna has already spent many hours alone in my presence. The first time we encountered one another, I was unconscious. If she had any desire to harm or kill me, she would have done it weeks ago."

"That may be, Your Majesty," another lord spoke up, "But there remains a possibility that she is a spy, an agent sent to infiltrate the Royal Palace."

The monarch's eyes narrowed. "Upon my rescue, Anna did not even request lodging within this castle. Her stay within these walls was my idea; she never intended to remain here," Elsa revealed. Anna perceived flashes of surprise light up in several pairs of eyes at the Queen's words. "As for her past, the story is simple. She was dropped off at an orphanage at an infant, lived there for sixteen years, and spent the next twenty-four months finding work wherever she could throughout the kingdom. I have never been given the slightest reason to doubt her story."

Anna did her best not to smirk at the Queen's lie, but Elsa coming to her defense filled the redhead with guilty satisfaction.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it is possible that the General has a point," an older woman cut in. Her face was slightly wrinkled and her blond hair was beginning to gray, but the Councilor in question spoke with confidence. "Placing your trust in her is a risk."

Anna frowned. She didn't blame Elsa, but it was getting really tiring of everyone talking about her as if she wasn't even in the room.

"She has sworn you no oath nor performed any kind of previous military service," the woman continued. "It is possible that her allegiance could be purchased by one of your enemies." Across the table, Evangeline nodded in agreement. Anna's hands clenched, knuckles turning white. Rage curdled inside her, reaching its boiling point.

Her motor mouth would no longer be silenced. If they wanted an oath, than an oath they would get.

Anna turned to Elsa and dropped to one knee. "If she will accept my service, I swear to defend Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, until the last breath has left my body," the redhead proclaimed suddenly, her voice so loud she was practically shouting. "Under pain of death, I shall remain her faithful servant as long as I live. So say I, Anna of Arendelle, personal attendant to the Queen."

Anna smiled. It was a crude oath, but it left no doubt as to her intentions.

The room went utterly silent. Anna's eyes glanced up, and for a moment she was treated to the unique sight of the most powerful men and women in Arendelle staring at her, half of them with their mouths hanging open.

Only the Queen herself appeared to not be in shock. A range of emotions Anna couldn't identify swirled in her cold blue eyes.

"I accept," Elsa said softly. At a nod from the monarch, Anna rose to her feet.

"I believe that satisfies your concern, Councilor Vlora?" the Queen turned to the woman in question. The advisor's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. "Regardless," Elsa continued, "Anna was of strong enough character to attempt to rescue me despite impossible odds. I find it difficult to believe that such a woman would be susceptible to petty bribery. She is loyal, skilled, and I find her company pleasant; there is no one more suited to the position."

A sigh from Evangeline drew Anna's eyes. "I still have misgivings, Your Majesty, but...I trust your judgment," the spymaster said firmly. "And I believe the rest of us should do the same." She looked at Vlora, a silent message passing between their eyes.

The Councilor nodded in agreement.

\

The meeting continued for another hour. Anna had been initially excited; a conference between the Queen of Arendelle and her top advisors was bound to be interesting. Would they talk about politics with foreign nations? Military strategies? Or...

Roads. The meeting was about roads. At length, they discussed and debated where they should be constructed and how they should be paid for. It took the redhead less than five minutes to become bored out of her mind. It wasn't long before she gave up trying to pay attention together, after all, her only responsibility at the moment was to protect the Queen. Thank the gods, it wasn't her job to concern herself with the actual details of the meeting.

Anna instead decided to spend the hour by indulging in a far more entertaining activity: observing Elsa. As boring as the meeting was, Anna couldn't help but watch as the beautiful Queen was in her element. She presided over the discussion with both elegance and authority. Despite being the youngest person at the table, there was absolutely no question as to who held all of the power in the room. It was almost...arousing…to see Elsa in such total control.

Careful Anna. Don't let them know you're staring.

Finally, Elsa declared the meeting adjourned. One by one, the ten advisors bowed and left the room.

The second the door shut, Elsa sat up out of her chair and turned to face Anna. "What the hell was that?!" she demanded.

Anna looked at her curiously. "What was what?" she asked innocently, surprised at the monarch's flash of rage. What was the problem?

The Queen gave an exasperated sigh. "The oath. You didn't have to...why did you swear yourself to me?" she questioned, frustration clear in her voice.

"Of course I did," Anna retorted. "I had to say something to satisfy them. What's the big deal, anyway?"

The monarch stared at her incredulously. "Anna, don't you understand? You swore yourself to me in front of ten of the most powerful individuals in the kingdom. Arendelle takes oaths very seriously. You're bound to me until the day you die."

The redhead shrugged. "Looks like you're stuck with me, then," she said casually.

"Anna-"

The former thief darted forward, silencing the Queen by placing two of her fingers on the monarch's lips. "Elsa, everything I said was already true. It didn't change anything. The only thing that would ever make me leave you is if you asked me to go. The oath just makes it official, and it shut them up," she argued, retracting her fingers.

Elsa sighed. "Anna, I appreciate it. Truly, I do. But I didn't want you to be..."

"Stuck with you?" the redhead supplied. The Queen nodded.

Anna smiled, leaning forward and capturing the monarch's lips in a quick kiss. "Elsa, there's nowhere I would rather be than at your side. As long as you can put up with me, than I'll be happy to stay."

At her words, a small smile finally broke across the Queen's lips. "I don't think that will be an issue," Elsa said softly, pulling in the redhead for a kiss of her own.

"If I'm sworn to you," Anna prompted once they parted, "Does this mean I'm not allowed to beat you in checkers anymore?"

Elsa giggled, raising up a hand to cover her lips. "No, you still are. Whether you actually will is another matter entirely."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, my Queen?"

The monarch nodded. "I believe I can spare an hour before I have to get started on paperwork. Let's go."

Smiling, Anna followed her new mistress to the library.

\

The next four days passed quickly. Anna quickly learned that being the Personal Attendant to the Queen was far from the most glamorous job in Arendelle. As Elsa worked, Anna assisted her by helping the monarch organize her paperwork and serving as a source of advice.

"Why are you asking me?" she had once said when Elsa had questioned her about the feasibility of an addition to the nation's main highway.

The monarch shrugged. "Sometimes it helps to here things from an untrained perspective," she explained. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Part of me thinks that you just enjoy hearing me ramble," she shot back. The blush on Elsa's face told the redhead that she had been correct.

"Just give me your opinion," the monarch said irritably. "Your voice helps me stay sane throughout all this number crunching."

After a giggle, Anna had obliged.

Despite the boring subject matters they were dealing with, Anna enjoyed the job nonetheless. There was a lot harder work out there than keeping Elsa company. And the benefits package was generous.

/

The Queen awoke bright and early. Finally, the biggest day of the year had arrived. Winter Solstice had come to Arendelle. And just as she had hoped, snow was falling past her window, calmly and consistently. Perfect weather for the day.

Why then, did she have a sense of foreboding?

As she took a bath and prepared herself for the day, a nagging feeling of worry pressed at the edges of Elsa's mind. It wasn't rational; it had been reported that the preparations for the festivities had been completed without a hitch. Ahead of her was a day enjoying the best her kingdom had to offer, with Anna and Rapunzel by her side. Shaking her head, Elsa brushed aside the uneasy thoughts and conjured her usual ice dress.

\

"So there's a tourney today?" Anna asked as they walked side by side to the entrance courtyard.

Elsa nodded. "A small one," she replied. "I'm sorry but no, you can't enter," the monarch added quickly, noticing that Anna's hand was unconsciously resting on her sword hilt.

The redhead sighed but dipped her head in agreement. Not only was her presence now required next to the Queen, but the two of them had come to the understanding that merely participating in a competition would amount to Anna cheating. Elsa's magic simply gave her too great of an advantage.

They hadn't said the obvious implications. But both women were well aware that if Anna hadn't been allowed to remain in the Castle, the redhead would have been placed in an impossible position. All that her stay would have accomplished would have been to add a third option to Anna's life. Cheat, in addition to steal or starve. The Queen continued to give her doses of magic; they hadn't yet determined if the effects would ware off, but Elsa was willing to bet that they wouldn't.

Elsa's lack of foresight had nearly doomed the redhead. By suggesting they conduct their little 'experiment', the Queen had almost condemned Anna to a life of continued poverty. For she knew that given the choice between thieving and cheating, Anna would have continued her former ways in order to cause as little damage to others as possible.

It doesn't matter. She's staying here, Elsa reassured herself.

Speaking of which...the Queen took a second to admire Anna's improved physique. Shifting her eyes to the right, Elsa noted that the redhead's cheeks, which previously had been a tad hollow, were now perfectly filled out. The former thief's skin seemed to have a bit more color than before, and her bones seemed slightly less pronounced. A month of living in the Castle had served Anna well.

Elsa smiled at the thought. She didn't delude herself into thinking that assisting the redhead made her a saint; providing for her cost the Queen essentially nothing. But the knowledge that she was responsible for Anna's improved health still filled the monarch with a warm glow.

Plus, Anna's improved diet had coupled with her training to grant the redhead an increasingly impressive physique. She didn't look like a bodybuilder, but Anna was a picture of athleticism. Against the Queen's will, her eyes roamed up and down the redhead's form, soaking in every detail. Her leering would have made Elsa feel guilty...if not for the fact that she constantly caught Anna doing the same thing. The redhead possessed less subtlety than a charging bull.

The Queen smiled as they approached her personal carriage, where Rapunzel was already waiting for them.

\

To Anna's surprise, not only was there a tourney scheduled for the day, but a plethora of other competitions as well. The redhead had never before spent a Winter Solstice in the Royal City before, a decision that she was coming to regret.

A massive stadium near the center of the city hosted all of the events. The tourney was the main show, of course, but there was also weight lifting, javelin tossing, disk throwing, foot races, and a bunch of other competitions Anna had never heard of before, in addition to some general performances.

"How many people can fit in here, Your Majesty?" the redhead asked as the three women made their way to their seats, flanked by a retinue of Royal Guards.

"Fifty thousand," Elsa said.

"Wow! You could fit the entire city in here!" Anna exclaimed.

The Queen smiled slightly. "Not quite. The capital is one of the largest cities in the world; nearly half a million people live here."

Anna frowned. "I thought that the Winter Solstice celebrations were free? If you can only fit a tenth of the people in the stadium...how does that work?"

"Most people don't stay for the entire day," Rapunzel cut in. "They do it by lottery; people can pick the events they want to see the most, and a raffle is held to decide who gets tickets for which time of day."

Anna nodded, suddenly distracted. Their group was passing through a market that had been erected in the main entrance courtyard of the arena. Dozens of varieties of fruits, meats, and desserts were being served in stalls around them. Reluctantly, the redhead turned away from a particularly impressive ice cream vendor and continued walking forward as the crowd made way for the monarch.

Five minutes later, they were seated in the spacious royal box. Joining them were several of Elsa's advisors and Rapunzel's fellow dignitaries, most of whom Anna did her best to ignore. The only ones Anna had any regard for were Evangeline (her devotion to the Queen's protection was obvious) and Councilor Vlora, who had seemingly taken the spymaster's advice to heart and grown to accept the redhead's presence at various meetings. Thankfully, General Kale (who given by the glares he constantly shot at her, had not come to appreciate Anna's position) was not in attendance.

Elsa took a seat in the front row. Anna sat down next to her on one side, and Rapunzel the other.

"Your Majesty?" Anna whispered, gently prodding the Queen's arm.

"Yes Anna?"

"Should we go get something to eat?"

The Queen frowned. "I can't leave, I have to preside over the opening ceremonies. Here," she reached into the pocket of dress.

Anna nearly gasped in recognition. It was the same leather bag that she had attempted to steal from. Just seeing it brought back flashes of memory from the first time she had met the Queen.

"Why don't you go grab us something?" Elsa suggested, handing her the bag. Anna's fingers could feel dozens of golden coins inside the pouch. She grinned. Yes, this job definitely had its benefits.

"Chocolate okay?"

\

The next few hours went beautifully. Elsa left most of the talking to Anna and Rapunzel, content to listen to them babble to each other as she calmly watched the festivities. Her two friends delighted in viewing the competitions and performances. Elsa, on the other hand, barely cared for them (public events never having been her thing) but she enjoyed herself regardless. Even if she couldn't wrap her arm around Anna like she wanted to.

"Wow! How much are they lifting?" the redhead questioned. It was the last stage of the weight lifting competition, and three men were standing in the center of the arena. Each was holding a massive barbell over their heads.

"Four hundred pounds," answered Elsa. Anna scoffed.

"Please. I could do that in my sleep," she said confidently. The remark immediately grew curious looks from Evangeline and Vlora, sitting in the row behind them. Her face turned scarlet.

"I mean...with some more training," Anna added quickly. Elsa frowned. She had no desire for their experiment to become public knowledge.

Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of two loud thumps from the arena. All but one contestant had dropped their weights. The victor was a blond-haired muscular man who looked to be in his early twenties. Strangely, he did not seem overjoyed at his triumph. His light brown eyes almost seemed impassive as he gruffly made his way off the field to receive his prize.

"You'd think he be happier...oooh, it's the tourney next, right?" Rapunzel said.

Elsa nodded.

"Given your skill with a blade, I am surprised to see that you did not enter, Anna," Councilor Vlora noted.

Anna shrugged evasively. "Thanks. But, well, you know, it's my job to protect the Queen and all. I can't do that if I'm fighting fifty feet below her," she mumbled.

The Councilor nodded. "Of course," she said with a knowing smile. "Your dedication to your mistress is admirable."

The redhead blushed but grinned in thanks.

Elsa continued to watch with vague interest as the competition started below. It really was a shame the Anna couldn't compete, but the Queen knew that she couldn't condone blatant cheating.

\

It took three more hours to for a winner of the final event to be declared. Out of the corner of her eye, Elsa could see Anna's jealous glare of the man who emerged victorious; a minor lord from one of the northern provinces. The Queen knew exactly what the redhead was thinking.

I would destroy you.

"I know," Elsa whispered to Anna as the group left their seats. A quick moment of confusion passed before the former thief shot her a small smile, realizing that the monarch had divined her thoughts.

It was still early in the evening, but given that it was the Winter Solstice, darkness had already fallen. Snow continued to rain down from the sky, the blizzard having picked up considerably during the day. Thankfully, Elsa had a group of guards to guide her back to the carriage, and the night was relatively well lit by the ubiquitous candles that the city's residents had lit for the holiday celebrations.

A group of three carriages awaited them. Elsa, Anna, and Rapunzel got in the middle one to themselves, leaving the first and last vehicles to the other members of their group. In addition to the drivers of each carriage, a dozen Royal Guards on horseback accompanied the procession.

Anna climbed in last, sitting next to Rapunzel, and a guard closed the door to their carriage behind her. Seconds later, the three carriages and their escorts began the roughly fifteen minute journey back to the Castle, rapidly making their way through the snow.

Elsa smiled as she noticed Anna and Rapunzel shivering and bushing snow off their coats. With a wave of her hand, the Queen dispelled the excess moisture inside their compartment, leaving her friends dry.

"Thanks," Anna said. Frowning, the redhead turned to Rapunzel. "You're really leaving tomorrow?" she asked sadly. The Princess nodded.

As the other two women fell into conversation, Elsa gazed out of the compartment's small window. Anna was making her happier than she'd been in years, but the monarch would still miss her cousin's company. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long until they saw each other once again.

The Queen stared out into the night, watching as snow continued to rain from the sky. Their carriage continued down the main road of the city, bypassing the many side streets that branched off into the darkness. As they passed through the densest part of the city, the candles lit in the ubiquitous buildings surrounding them seemed to illuminate each and every white speck that fell to the ground.

Her vision was obscured as one of the guards pulled his horse up beside his carriage. Elsa watched as the man gazed up at a rooftop. Her eyes narrowed. What was he doing? Breaking off formation to look at some decoration-

The man threw his hands up violently as a black shaft seemed to sprout in his chest. Elsa gasped as the man toppled off his horse. He fell to the ground, his mount running off into the night.

Anna sat up suddenly. "Elsa, what-?"

WHAM! Her world turned sideways as a massive force impacted the side of their carriage. For a brief instant, she was falling through the air. Then, her eyes saw stars as the carriage landed on its side, her head slamming into the wooden bench. Vaguely, the Queen could hear the men outside screaming as she laid motionless on the ground, her vision blurring.

Suddenly, a pair of strong hands was seizing the monarch by her shoulders.

"Get up!" Anna shouted as she hauled Elsa to her feet. Shakily, the Queen attempted to stand in the limited room they had available. Her balance had not recovered, but Anna held her upright. For her part, the redhead seemed uninjured.

She looked at the ground...and her heart lurched. The same could not be said for Rapunzel. The Princess of Corona was lying unconscious across the bench she had been sitting on; blood smattered her light brown hair.

Thunk. The Queen hard the sound of an arrow impacting the side of the carriage. Consumed by concern for her cousin, she dismissed the threat until a second later, when a white-blue glow began to emanate from the point of impact.

A fire arrow! Immediately, the Queen could feel the oppressive heat as the fire spread at a frightening pace, coming dangerously close to the fallen Princess. Desperately trying to clear her still woozy head, Elsa tried to focus enough to create a blast of magic.

Anna wasn't waiting. One arm still steadying Elsa, Anna reached down with her free hand and grabbed Rapunzel by the front of her shirt, pulling her away from the flames. With a yell, she threw her body at the former roof of the carriage.

The wood splintered noisily, giving way to her inhuman strength and opening up to the night beyond. A royal in each hand, Anna staggered outside, pulling Elsa with her.

The Queen was greeted by a warzone. Multiple guards lay sprawled in the snow, pools of red flowing from arrow wounds. The men who were still mounted wheeled their horses around frantically, desperately seeking their attackers. The other two carriages hadn't been knocked over, but they had now stopped as well, each roughly five feet away from their position. Their drivers had drawn their own weapons and looked prepared to fight, but she couldn't see Vlora and Evangeline.

From the light of the flames that now consumed their former carriage, Elsa perceived what had caused them to topple over: an ox-cart that had been pushed downhill, timed to directly strike their vehicle.

This was an ambush.

Immediately after she processed that obvious realization, Elsa had another one. She was the target, and now that they were in the open...

Head mostly clear now, she waved her hand just in time. A wall of ice materialized over the women's heads, absorbing the impact of three well-shot arrows. Through the snow, Elsa's eyes barely gleamed the shape of a man perched on one of the rooftops, what looked to be a bow in his hands.

The Queen didn't hesitate. With a flick of her fingers, the wall of ice sped upwards into the air at lethal velocity. A scream echoed from his position, and Elsa knew her aim had been true. On the other side of the fallen carriage, she heard steel clashing on steel.

Good news: my guards are still organized enough to intercept the attackers on the ground. Bad news: there are attackers on the ground.

This was no desperate assassination; she was under attack by a coordinated assault.

Anna meanwhile let go of her arm and laid Rapunzel on the ground, pausing only to draw both her sword and her dagger. The Queen raised her hands, readying her magic. At the moment, the archers were the most direct threat. Trusting Anna and her men to focus on the ground, Elsa's eyes scanned the rooftops, searching for...

A flash of movement on the roof to her left! She reacted instantly. A blast of cold air spread from her palm, turning aside the arrow aimed for her heart. Snarling, she unleashed a torrent of razor sharp icicles from her fingers. They rocketed towards the offending archer. Even through the blizzard, Elsa could see the blood sprout from his chest as the projectiles found their target. Still gripping the bow, his body toppled off the roof and fell to the ground, landing not ten meters away.

Judging by the arrows that had attacked her initially, that left at least one more archer. She whirled around, eyes scanning the rooftops, but the snowstorm and the darkness obscured her vision. Not another hint of movement made itself known on the buildings above.

A clang of metal just behind her caused the Queen to spin around. Ten feet away, Anna was fighting two dark cloaked men who had emerged from a side street. Sword in one hand and dagger in the other, she dueled with both simultaneously. They attacked her with speed and precision, but Anna moved with even greater speed.

The redhead dodged and avoided a barrage of slashes. She rolled to the left, coming up with a viscous cut that sliced one attacker through the neck. His head hadn't even hit the ground before she pounced on the second attacker.

The man raised his blade to block her onslaught, but Anna's first swipe was so powerful that his sword was wrenched from his grasp. Her next blow cut him clean through the stomach, and his limp body fell to the snow. No sooner had he fallen, however, than another three men came into view on the side-street, running towards Anna with blades extended. The redhead raised her weapons defiantly.

"Anna, duck!" Elsa shouted.

Her personal attendant hit the ground, falling flat to the snow. The path now clear, Elsa unleashed a massive blast of ice from her palms. The attack sailed over Anna, hitting the three would be assailants seconds before they would have reached her. Shards of ice shredded through the men, killing them almost instantly.

The redhead jumped to her feet. She turned around to face Elsa, her relief evident. Suddenly, her eyes widened. With blinding speed, Anna drew back her wrist and hurled her dagger into the air. It spun through the snow like a pinwheel. Turning around, the Queen was just in time to perceive it reach the rooftop behind her and impact a figure in the chest.

The third archer, she thought as he toppled to the ground.

She nodded at Anna before running to the other side of the carriage, magic gathering in her hands. Eight of her guards were clashing with nine more dark-cloaked figures. Only four of her men were still mounted. Elsa raised her palms, but the conditions made aiming difficult, and given the close quarters fighting, the Queen could easily miss and hit her own protectors. Focusing, she perceived a clear shot and launched an icicle, impaling the closest attacker. Anna ran towards the fight from the other side, flanking two attackers and cutting them down before they even knew she was there.

"Vlora!" an agonized scream cut through the night. Elsa turned towards the first carriage...and her heart nearly stopped. Standing over the prone body of the Councilor in question was yet another warrior in a dark cloak. He withdrew his bloody sword from her limp form, snarling in triumph.

It was the last thing he ever did.

Before Elsa could even think about blasting him with magic, Evangeline was charging forward, blade in hand. The normally stoic spymaster yelled in rage as she administered the first blow, a cut to his wrist that sent him staggering back.

A second cut caught him on the neck.

It was too late. The Queen ran toward the fallen Councilor, ready to administer her healing abilities...but one look at the massive pool of blood that surrounded her body and Elsa knew that it was over. The man's sword had nearly sliced clean through her chest.

Vlora was dead.

The monarch's hands trembled in rage. The two of them had never been particularly close, but Elsa had still known the woman since she was a child. Vlora had advised both herself and her parents for decades, and she'd done it well. She'd been a faithful servant of Arendelle her entire life, and now she was dead on Elsa's watch.

If it wasn't for the presence of her defenders, Elsa would have unleashed a storm and flattened the rest of the ambushers within three seconds. As it was, she simply turned back towards the fight with murder in her eyes, preparing to strike them down one by one.

Eight of her guards still stood against five attackers, driving them back. And Anna...Elsa's eyes whipped around, searching for the redhead.

A sudden movement in the corner of her vision! Elsa spun to her left. It took the Queen less than a millisecond to come to her next realization.

Her life was over.

A lone attacker had made his way to the dead archer who had fallen from the building. The bow of his deceased ally was now clutched in his hands.

And the first arrow was already flying towards the Queen's heart.

It was too late to move. Too late to raise her hands and use her magic. Elsa had just enough time to process that it was the end.

Then a force was slamming into her back, driving her through the air. The Queen hit the ground hard, a soft yet relatively heavy weight landing on top of her.

Lifting her head out of the snow, Elsa hurriedly raised her hand and let loose a quick burst of magic that froze the archer solid. Gasping, she turned around, examining the object that had slammed her out of the arrow's path.

A familiar mane of red hair greeted her.

"Anna!" the Queen gasped. Filled with a rush of gratitude despite the chaos going on around them, she moved out from beneath her savior, climbing to her knees.

The redhead didn't rise with her. And in that instant, Elsa's world ended.

Anna collapsed face first into the snow, a black arrow shaft lodged in the center of her back.


	19. Chapter 19

Never before had the country seen such a storm.

In an instant, the minor blizzard that had been affecting the capital had expanded to cover all of Arendelle under its wintery shadow. It's intensity increased tenfold; snow began to fall from the sky so quickly that citizens could only see mere feet in front of them. The storm angrily pounded the ground at such a rate that the entire nation would be buried within the hour. Cold wind whipped throughout the kingdom, knocking many of the Queen's subjects to their knees by the mere power of its gusts.

Throughout Arendelle, the kingdom's people could do nothing but dive for shelter from the blizzard's wrath. The harbor froze within seconds, the disruption so sudden that many vessels sustained severe damage. Rooftops began to strain under the ever growing weight of the white powder. Many stands and storefronts, all lavishly decorated in preparation for the solstice, were all but ripped to shreds, their wares scattered to the wind.

Over the next thirty seconds, a majority of Arendelle's population became convinced that the apocalypse was upon them. The people in the streets did all they could to avoid being blown away by the wind. Those fortunate enough to have been inside stared out their windows in terror as the blizzard buffeted the walls, all too aware that their homes would not protect them for long.

Only one individual remained unaware of the chaos.

\

"ANNA!" Elsa screamed. Still on her knees, she hurriedly shuffled over to the prone girl. With trembling hands, she lifted the redhead off the ground.

The point of an arrow protruded from the center of Anna's chest, an inch to the left of her heart.

The Queen screamed in rage. For the first time in years, Elsa lost complete control of her powers. But despite the screams of those around her amid the rapidly growing storm, the only thought on the monarch's mind was Anna. The rest of the world faded into the background.

Her attendant's eyes were closed. Blood was flowing freely from both her back and her chest, turning the snow around them scarlet. Without thinking, Elsa brought one hand to each of Anna's wounds, releasing her magic. Her palms immediately became stained with red, but the Queen didn't even notice. Continuing the flow of magic, she laid Anna face-up upon her lap, careful to keep the arrow shaft in her back from touching the ground.

"Stay with me!" Elsa pleaded desperately. Tears flowing freely down her cheeks, she began to maneuver one of her hands into a position where she could check for a pulse but still continue the healing.

A rough hand gripped her shoulder.

"Your Majesty, we have to get you out of here!" shouted a Royal Guard over the wind. He moved to pull her away.

"Get the fuck off me!" She whipped her arm back, releasing a compressed blast of super cool air from her palm. The man was blasted back, falling back behind the veil of snow and out of view.

The Queen immediately returned the free hand to the wound on Anna's back, mustering every bit of power that she could muster.

What if it's too late? the monarch's mind panicked. Finally managing to check for a pulse, warm relief flowed through Elsa as she sensed a faint heartbeat. But the redhead had already lost a lot of blood, and the arrow shaft still sticking through her chest wasn't helping her chances.

"Y-you're going to be fine! You hear me Anna?! Please, please wake up!" she pleaded, but her attendant's eyes remained shut. Elsa continued the flow of magic, but Anna's pulse appeared to be growing steadily weaker.

"No. No no no no!" the Queen sputtered desperately. Elsa mentally debated pulling the shaft out of Anna's back, but even her magic had limits. If she removed the arrow, the blood flow might be too powerful for her to stifle, and Anna couldn't afford to lose much more of the precious fluid, if indeed she hadn't lost too much already.

But then again, it might be her only chance. Leaving the arrow in and continuing with her magic might buy the redhead a few more minutes of life, but her death would be inevitable. Her magic wasn't powerful enough to heal Anna's wounds, not with a shaft still sticking through her chest.

Tears began to run down her face. Even with all of Elsa's power, she was helpless. Thousands of men were under her command. She had enough wealth to buy the capital city a dozen times over. The magic at her fingertips was capable of burying an entire continent in snow. But in the end, she couldn't do the one thing that mattered. She couldn't save those she loved. Not her parents.

And not Anna.

"I'm so...so s-sorry Anna," she cried. It was all her fault. If Elsa hadn't allowed herself to be distracted during the battle, Anna would never have needed to sacrifice herself.

"I'm not going to let you die, Anna! I won't!" Magic still rushed from her fingertips. The blood flow had stopped now, but Anna's pulse continued to grow weaker. Clenching her teeth, Elsa prepared to give the redhead the only chance she had. Her hands moved to grip the arrow shaft.

A gentle hand gripped her arm weakly.

"E-Elsa," a soft voice to her left groaned. Whipping her head to the left, the Queen came face to face with a familiar brunette. Blood smattered her hair and the wind threatened to blow her away, but Rapunzel remained upright on her knees.

"Save her!" Elsa shouted. Herself unaffected by the wind, she grabbed the Princess by the arms and hauled her to sit next to Anna.

Despite the snow obstructing her vision, Elsa could see the fear in Rapunzel's eyes as she took in the sight of the dying redhead.

"I'm going to rip the arrow out!" Elsa called. "As soon as I do, heal her!" Teeth chattering from the cold, the Princess managed a nod.

Elsa's fingers closed around the shaft. For a brief moment, she hesitated. Rapunzel's magic could heal literally anything, but opening the wound might kill Anna before the tear could fall.

But it was her only chance.

Gritting her teeth, Elsa pulled with all her might. With a sickening crunch, the arrow ripped through Anna's skin. It came free with a fresh spurt of blood, itself coated with a myriad of substances that the Queen didn't even want to think about.

A single tear fell from Rapunzel's eye, falling onto Anna's open wound.

Time seemed to stop as Elsa stared down at the redhead. Was it too late? Was Anna already dead? Even Rapunzel's magic couldn't bring back the deceased.

Anna's eyes remained closed. For thirty seconds, the Queen stared down at the redhead, but nothing seemed to change. The blood stopped flowing from her wounds, but the gashes themselves remained open.

"NO!" Elsa collapsed to the ground, crying freely now. She rounded on Rapunzel, desperation grabbing her heart. "Why isn't it working! Cry again!" The Princess stared back at her helplessly.

"Bullshit! Your magic can save anyone! You saved Eugene! What, is Anna not important enough for to waste the effort on?!" she yelled, holding Rapunzel's shoulders and shaking the Princess violently.

"Elsa I-"

"You're useless!" Elsa sobbed, releasing her cousin. "You save those you care about, but when the people I love are dying..."

"L-love..?" managed a weak voice.

Elsa's head whipped towards the ground so quickly that it was a miracle that her neck did not snap in two.

Magic sparkling faintly on her chest, Anna's wounds were closing. Her eyes were open.

"Anna!" she shouted. Filled with utter joy, she fell to the ground and embraced the redhead. With a sigh, Anna fell back into unconsciousness, but her chest was now rising and falling steadily.

"Thank the gods!" Rapunzel cried. Still holding Anna, Elsa turned to the Princess. Tears still flowed from her eyes, but a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank you!" Elsa looked at her cousin guiltily, but the slight grin on her cousin's face told her that her previous words had been forgiven.

Around them, the storm began to dissipate. The wind began to die down, the snow starting to fall at a slower rate. And as she laid Anna back on the ground, Elsa's thoughts finally focused enough to realize what she had done.

Brining her will to bear, Elsa concentrated, commanding the storm to completely revert back to its previous state. And as the weather calmed, the Queen remembered who was responsible for Anna's predicament.

She turned to where the fighting had been taking place. In the chaos of the storm, both her guards and the attackers had been scattered. At the time of Anna's wounding, only three of their assailants had remained alive.

"I'm going to try and heal the others!" Rapunzel said. "You focus on them!"

Nodding, Elsa climbed to her feet.

A clash of steel soon drawer her attention. A recovered Royal Guard was now dueling with two of the assailants. More of her men moved to assist their comrade, but Elsa was done waiting.

At the moment, the Queen didn't care who these attackers were or why they wanted her dead. All she knew was that they had assaulted her without provocation, struck down Vlora without mercy, attempted to kill her men, and had come within inches of murdering Anna.

So they were going to die.

A burst of razor sharp spikes of ice sprouted from her palms, impacting the two assailants. They crumbled to the ground, their blood staining the snow.

"Your Majesty!" shouted a man to her right. Elsa turned to see another guard locked in combat with the last assassin. She raised her hands to strike him down, but another guard grabbed her shoulder.

"We need someone to interrogate!" he advised her.

Sighing, Elsa knew he was right. Icy mist came forth from her right palm, enveloping the assassin. The supercooled air blasted him back into a wall and froze his chest to the concrete.

Elsa marched forward with murder in her heart. "You are going to give us answers," she hissed. "Or I will..."

The Queen stopped as the man raised his sword. Despite knowing that he would never have enough maneuverability to throw it at her, Elsa raised her hands in defense.

But the man didn't try to strike her. As the monarch stared, he turned the hilt around in his hands, took a deep breath, and...

"No!" Elsa shot a blast of ice at his hands, but her attempt to disarm him came to late. The weapon plunged into his chest, cutting through the ice.

The monarch ran up to him, but one look at the point of impact and she knew it was too late. The sword had pierced his heart. Rapunzel's magic might have worked, but Elsa wasn't going to pull her away from healing the Royal Guards to save the life of an assassin.

"Why?!" Elsa demanded. "Why did you try to kill me? What do you have to gain?"

The dying man looked up at her, blood falling from his lips. "Control...you...can't...ritual..." he sputtered.

Elsa stared at him. "What?"

The man's head dropped towards the ground, and the Queen knew he was dead.

\

Anna's eyes opened slowly. Bright light filled her vision.

I'm dead, she thought dully. Guess there is a heaven after all.

The sound of light snoring brought her out of her trance. Her eyes opened fully, allowing her to take in the sight of...her room in Castle Arendelle.

She was alive! And to her right was...Elsa, sitting in a chair at her bedside. The Queen's eyes were closed, her breathing light and soft. Outside, the sky was still pitch black, but a large glowing snowflake in the center of the room provided illumination.

"Elsa?"

The monarch's eyes shot open. "Anna!" she breathed in relief, standing up and moving to the bed. "The physicians said you would be fine, but I wanted to wait...I'm sorry I fell asleep..."

Anna glanced up at her. "What happened? I remember...our carriage toppling over, and then..." her eyes narrowed in concentration. "I can't remember the rest." It was true. She could recall the beginning of the ambush, but the event was a blur to her.

Elsa took Anna's hands into her own. The Queen's eyes shined with regret.

"You saved me Anna. You...you were shot. I'm sorry."

Anna frowned. "Sorry for what?"

"An archer fired an arrow at me. I was too slow, but you...knocked me out the way. You were struck instead. Rapunzel and I healed you, but you fell unconscious for a few hours."

Suddenly, Elsa came down and pulled the redhead into an embrace. "I'm so...so sorry! I nearly got you killed! But...you saved my life again. I wish you hadn't had to, but thank you. Thank you a thousand times!"

"Of course I saved you," Anna whispered, returning the Queen's hug. "It's my duty."

Elsa sighed, pulling back slightly. "I was a fool, Anna. I thought my powers could protect me from anything. I thought that your position would never put you in danger. But the men who attacked us...they timed their ambush to limit my advantage. It was dark...and they attacked us in close quarters. I was arrogant...and you paid the price."

Anna stared up at her. "You did everything you could. I'm just glad I was able to protect you."

Elsa sighed. "Anna, I am...beyond grateful for what you did for me today. But never again. Being my guard is too dangerous, I realize that now, and I won't have you put in harm's way again."

"No!" Anna shouted, pulling out of the embrace. "I go where you go! Whatever happens, we'll face it together. If I need to protect you again, I will!"

The Queen frowned. "Why, Anna? You as good as sacrificed yourself for me. You've saved my life twice now. You've done enough."

Anna shook her head.

"I'll be fine, Anna. We'll leave my protection to the Royal Guards from now on. Rapunzel won't always be there. If you were hurt again..."

"If I left your protection to the Royal Guards, you'd be dead twice over now!" Anna shouted. "I will keep you safe, and if that means I have to take an arrow for you again, so be it," she said firmly.

"Anna, I'll release you from your oath with honor. It won't be your duty any longer," Elsa prompted.

"I don't care!" the redhead shot back. "I'll follow you anyway!"

The Queen sighed. "Do you want to end up dead?" she demanded.

"Of course not, but if that's what it takes to save you, then so be it," Anna answered.

Elsa's eyes narrowed in frustration. "Why? Why do you want to sacrifice yourself for me? You don't owe me anything."

"Because I love you!"

The two women simply stared at one another. Anna's face burned bright red at the declaration, but she made no move to retract it. The words had been said in the heat of the moment, but they were true nonetheless. She loved Elsa.

Had she said it too soon? What if Elsa didn't…wait. Had the Queen said she loved Anna at one point? That didn't seem like something she would forget, but her memory remained clouded.

"I..." the Queen stared down at her hands. "I love you too," she said.

Anna's blush intensified, but relief flowed through her. The Queen of Arendelle had just told her that she loved her. Maybe she was dead after all.

"I love you so much, Anna," Elsa admitted. "And that's why I can't put you in danger again. You just barely survived today. If something happened to you..."

Anna placed her hand over Elsa's mouth, silencing the Queen. "And if something happened to you, I could never live with myself," she interrupted. "Besides, the kingdom needs you. You're more important than me; we both know that. You owe it to Arendelle to protect yourself as best you can, and that means having me as your guard." She released the Queen's mouth.

Elsa glowered down at her. Anna could see the realization dawning in the monarch's eyes. She wasn't going to win this argument.

"Fine," she said at last, reluctance plain in her tone.

"Thank you," Anna said simply.

The Queen gave an exasperated sigh. "Get some rest, Anna." Elsa leaned down, placing a kiss on the attendant's forehead. Nodding, Anna watched as the Queen stood up and left the room, the glowing snowflake disintegrating behind her.

\

It was three hours later that Elsa heard the screams. Despite her exhaustion, the Queen had laid in her bed for hours and failed to fall asleep. Her terror was still too close to the surface, and grief still echoed through her. In addition to Vlora, two Royal Guards had received fatal injuries, and Elsa couldn't get them off her mind. She wasn't sure that she wanted to.

Plus, there was the guilt at the destruction she had caused. The storm she had intensified had wreaked havoc throughout the city, and possible the rest of the country as well. No one had been killed based on the initial reports, but there had been considerable property damage, and the populace was shaken.

And so Elsa remained awake when the faint sounds of shouting echoed down the hall. Adrenaline racing through her, the Queen hopped out of her bed and conjured an ice gown. As she opened the door, the yelling grew both louder and more distinct. The voice was all too familiar.

Anna.

The monarch hurried down the hall, brushing aside the protests of the guards on duty. Fear for the redhead consumed her. What was happening? Had her wounds reopened, somehow? Was Rapunzel's magic not strong enough after all?

Elsa raced down the steps, heading down from the Royal Wing to the Upper Wing. She moved down the hallway, the screams growing louder and louder the closer she got to Anna's room.

Two guards were already standing outside the door.

"What is going on?" the Queen demanded. Why weren't they helping her?

One man turned to her. "Your Majesty!" he greeted in surprise.

"What is happening to her?" Elsa implored.

The man looked at her nervously. "We don't know. We checked inside. There is no one else in there, and she does not appear to be injured. Girl's just having a nightmare."

Elsa's eyes narrowed, but her mind filled with relief. Anna would survive a nightmare.

"Return to your posts," she ordered. "I am going to see to my attendant."

The guards looked at her curiously, but the two men obeyed. As they moved to the end of the hall, Elsa hurriedly entered the room.

Anna laid in the bed, tossing and turning violently. A fresh scream erupted from the redhead's mouth.

"Anna!" Elsa moved over to the bed and seized the girl's wrists. "You're okay! You're okay. Wake up!"

Slowly, Anna stopped struggling against her. The attendant's eyes fluttered open. Her face contorted in shock as she registered the Queen's presence.

"Elsa! I...was I screaming?" she said slowly. The monarch nodded.

"You were having a nightmare. Are you alright? Are your wounds hurting?"

Anna shook her head, but tears were now appearing in her eyes. "I'm...I'm fine, Elsa," she said unconvincingly. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Anna..." Elsa said soothingly, wiping the tears off the girl's face. "What is it?"

"I...in my dreams...I remembered what happened. I remembered that I killed...I killed five people today," Anna explained hesitantly.

Elsa frowned. "Yes, you did. You were defending me. They planned on killing me. They would have struck you down without a second thought. There's nothing wrong with what you did," the Queen assured her.

Anna sniffled. "I know, Elsa. I know it's stupid, but...I killed them without hesitation. Even when I was saving you before, I registered that I was about to commit murder. This time...this time I didn't even consider it. They say killing gets easier...they say it changes you. Am I..."

"No, Anna," the Queen said firmly. "You were acting in the heat of the moment. You didn't have time to think; none of us did. You did your duty, and nothing more. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Even as she said the words, Elsa felt another pang of guilt. She herself had struck down several men earlier, and though she took no pleasure in it, the knowledge of what she had done didn't torment her. But knowing how pure Anna was, it came as no surprise that she regretted her actions. And Elsa had been the one to put her in that position.

I've given her a home. But I've turned her into a weapon, she thought guiltily.

"I wouldn't take it back," Anna murmured. "I would have done anything to save you. And I'll do it again, if I have to. It's just...I can't help but feel...I'm sorry."

For the second time that day, Elsa embraced the redhead. "I understand, Anna. You don't like killing. There's nothing wrong with that."

Anna nodded forlornly as they separated.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep," the redhead muttered.

Elsa gazed down at her. "Do you want me to stay with you?" she asked without thinking. Immediately after the words left her mouth, her face burned red.

Anna looked up at her. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, what if someone sees us?" Her words were tentative, but Elsa couldn't help but see the longing that appeared in the redhead's eyes.

This was insane. They'd barely been together a week. Sharing her bed was...

Elsa scowled. The idea of sharing a bed with Anna terrified her slightly, but the Queen also found the notion undeniably attractive. To hold Anna in her arms...

She mad up her mind. For tonight, protocol be damned.

"I'll freeze the lock. We'll say I fell asleep in the chair," she offered nervously. "Unless you don't want me to..."

"No!" Anna interrupted. "I'd love to sleep with you. I mean...not in that way! Not that I wouldn't want to in that way...eventually, but for now..."

Elsa silenced her rambling with a quick kiss on the lips. "Then let me in," she said.

Smiling nervously, Anna moved over and lifted up the covers. Trying to keep the blush off her face despite the darkness, Elsa climbed into the bed beside the redhead.

"Hold me?" Anna asked softly.

Smiling despite herself, Elsa lifted her arms and enveloped the redhead in a hug, laying her head down upon the spare pillow.

Within five minutes, they were fast asleep.

\

He stared out the window of his temporary headquarters, looking down at the city below. Only a few hours ago, the streets had been in chaos, but the capital's soldiers had restored order.

A knock sounded on the door behind him.

"Enter," he called.

His subordinate shuffled into the room.

"Was the mission a success?" he questioned.

The other man shook his head. He had been assigned to watch the assassination from a distance, in order to guarantee that a report would make it back. Even if they succeeded, the odds of the assailants themselves surviving were low.

"No, sir. The ambush went off as planned, but the Queen survived. One of our targets was killed, but the monarch herself was uninjured."

He nodded. The result was unfortunate, but he had expected it ever since the storm had erupted outside. Only Queen Elsa herself could have created such a blizzard, and its appearance had confirmed that their men had failed to kill her quickly.

"How?" he demanded. His tone was mild, but there was an unmistakable edge in his voice.

"I don't know for certain. But.." his subordinate began uncertainly.

"Yes?"

The other man sighed. "I had perfect vision of the attack, sir, at least until the storm began. The Queen's carriage was knocked over by the cart, as planned. An alight arrow was quickly launched at the vehicle, and immediately caught flames. But somehow…somehow another woman managed to remain uninjured through the crash. I barely believed my eyes, but a few seconds after the arrow hit…the wall of the carriage burst open. This woman, carrying both Queen Elsa and Princess Rapunzel in her arms, easily forced her way through the wood. In the battle that followed, she was almost as deadly as the Queen. She did not appear muscular in the slightest, but somehow this woman tore through the men like they were paper. I've never seen anything like it."

Interesting.

His lips formed into a scowl, but he did not doubt the report. The news would be shocking to some, but with all of the knowledge he possessed, nothing could surprise him any longer.

"So, Queen Elsa has a pet. I have been informed recently that she had selected a commoner girl as her personal guard. Our man couldn't understand why, but it appears that we have our answer. This girl has magic, something making her stronger and more resilient. Elsa must have appointed her for this reason."

His subordinate nodded, clearly relieved that his story had been believed. True, it was a bit far-fetched, but he had heard stranger accounts before. And his man's information had always proved reliable.

"What is our next move, sir?"

"It will take time to prepare another attack. And Elsa will no doubt be even more careful in the future. Before we move in, we must weaken her defenses," he answered.

"How, sir?"

He smiled grimly. "Princess Rapunzel is a non-factor, soon she will be back in Corona and out of Elsa's reach. The Queen's personal guard, on the other hand, will continue to be a thorn in our side if left unchecked. Elsa's magic alone makes the monarch nearly unassailable, the two of them together…" he paused.

"Before we make our next move against the Queen, this girl must be killed. Though she is sheltered in the Castle, she is no doubt not nearly as well-protected as the Queen. I want a plan to eliminate her on my desk within the next twenty-four hours. Tell me, do we know her name?" he questioned.

"Her name is Anna, sir."


	20. Chapter 20

An hour after sunrise, Elsa awoke to the sound of teeth chattering.

She opened her eyes to perceive Anna in her arms, shivering in her sleep. The Queen didn't see any manifestation of her powers; the room was free of ice and snow, yet what else could be making the redhead so cold?

"Anna!" she shook the redhead in her arms.

"Uugh," Anna groaned as she came to. Slowly, as the former thief returned to consciousness, the shivering began to fade.

"Are you alright?" Elsa demanded. "Did I...why are you cold?"

Anna turned around to face her, mouth etched into a low frown. "I'm sorry," the redhead apologized. "It wasn't you. I just...it was just a dream." As she spoke, her teeth still chattered slightly.

Elsa sighed in relief. "It must have been some dream," she mused.

Anna's eyes were tinged with sadness. "I mean, I guess…it wasn't...just a dream," she murmured. "It was more like a memory."

The Queen frowned. "A memory?" she asked.

The redhead's gaze dropped to the sheets. "After I left the orphanage, I didn't always have enough money to stay indoors. Some nights I had to stay in an alleyway, or if worst came to worst, a doorway. I'd always be chased off in the morning, but it helped me survive the winter nights. Still, it was cold as hell. I think I was dreaming of a night around a year ago. Last winter was really cold."

Elsa's heart panged. "What about the money you were able to steal?"

"It wasn't always enough. I never took too much during a single robbery, and sometimes what I had dried up before another...opportunity…presented itself. There were times some people on the street were generous enough to part with a little coin, but not always."

The Queen couldn't think of what to say in response. What could she say? All her life, Elsa had been warm and fed within the Royal Castle. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like...living on the streets, thieving and begging to survive. How could anyone ever sleep in an alleyway? How could someone like Anna be forced to...?

The redhead was still shivering.

Without thinking, Elsa wrapped her arms around the redhead and pulled Anna into her chest, hugging her tightly.

"Anna, I am so so sorry that you had to go through that," she whispered. "But that's over now. You're warm and safe...you're with me. You'll never have to go through that again."

The redhead pulled back just enough to raise her head and look at Elsa. Anna smiled slightly, but the Queen could still perceive doubt within her eyes.

Elsa imagined what the redhead must be feeling. True, she'd been rescued from a life on the streets and given lodging within the castle, but such an arrangement only lasted as long as the Queen allowed it. Even though Anna knew how much Elsa cared for her, the monarch could understand how the notion of one person's goodwill separating her from a life out in the snow would be frightening.

She leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on Anna's forehead.

"Anna, listen to me," she said softly, staring into the girl's teal eyes. "You will never have to sleep out in the cold ever again. Even if you don't want to be with me any longer. Even if you grow to hate me. Even if you come to your senses and don't want to be my personal attendant anymore. Whatever happens, you will always have a home here. You shall never want for food nor clothing nor warmth. I swear it upon my life and title."

Elsa noticed Anna's eyes begin to shine with tears just before the redhead pulled her into an even tighter embrace. The Queen unconsciously ran her hand soothingly through Anna's messy hair as the former thief sobbed softly into her chest.

"Why?" Anna asked faintly.

"Why what?"

Again, Anna pulled back slightly so she could look at the Queen. "Why are you so concerned with taking care of me? Why do you do so much for me? Sometimes I just don't understand...I mean...why do you choose to be with me in the first place? You could have anyone, and..."

Elsa stopped Anna's spewing of her fears with a quick kiss to her lips.

Part of her couldn't understand how Anna didn't realize how wonderful she was. Here the former thief was pondering how Elsa could believe her to be worthy when twelve hours ago she had taken an arrow for the Queen without hesitation.

But part of her could. Anna had spent sixteen years spent living in an orphanage. Somehow, no one had ever chosen to adopt her. After that, she had been homeless, unable to secure a job, and even been reduced to occasionally begging on the streets. Clothed in rags and asking strangers for money, most people had probably looked at her as if she was the scum of the earth.

Yes, after a life like that, part of Elsa could understand why Anna sometimes struggled with self-esteem.

"I could tell you it's because you've saved my life twice, Anna," Elsa began, gently wiping away the redhead's tears with her finger. "And that on it's own is enough reason. But the truth is...it's because you're you, Anna. An amazing, talented, intelligent woman who is selfless enough to sacrifice her life for those she cares about without a second thought. A woman who makes me happy just by being in the same room as me. I love you, and I could never bear the thought of you being homeless again. You're the last person in Arendelle who deserves that, and I will gladly do anything in my power to keep you safe. Just like you would do for me...like you have done for me."

Finally, Anna's shivering stopped completely.

"Elsa I...thank you," she said warmly. She pulled the Queen closer, nuzzling Elsa's neck.

The peaceful moment was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Your Majesty?" Gerda's voice called. "Your maid is wondering where you've gone, and Kai tells me you have a meeting within the hour.

Elsa resisted the urge to groan. "Thank you, Gerda. I shall be along shortly!" she replied. The interruption irritated her, but she was thankful that the woman herself had chosen to bring her the message. Another servant might have been perplexed as to why she had spent the night in the room of her personal attendant, but Kai and Gerda were two of the few people currently aware of their relationship.

Still, the Queen felt bile rising in her throat at the thought of the meeting. After they'd returned last night, Elsa had scheduled an emergency Council session for the morning while waiting for Anna to wake. The agenda was without a doubt the most unpleasant series of topics that Elsa had ever had to deal with.

The Council would be meeting to plan for Vlora's funeral and consider the Councilor's replacement. Then they would be discussing the attack, and attempt to formulate a strategy as to how to find the perpetrators and increase Elsa's protection. As if that wasn't bad enough, their meeting would then turn to the small matter of the Queen's superstorm…and the destruction it had caused.

Reluctantly, she realized that she was going to have to tell Anna about the blizzard she had created. At the time, Elsa had been too consumed with grief to realize what she was doing, but now that her redhead was safe, her thoughts were free to process the damage her powers had wrought.

Her heart went heavy with guilt. There had been no fatalities, but there was no doubt that her people were terrified. Many had had their livelihoods damaged. Making a silent vow to herself, Elsa swore that she would do whatever was required to make things right.

And although Anna would be informed of the storm, she would not be told what had been its exact trigger. The last thing Elsa wanted was for the redhead to blame herself in any way for what had happened. Even though she had only been its indirect cause (and had saved the Queen's life in the process,) Elsa knew Anna well enough to predict that the attendant would feel some guilt for the harm that the blizzard had wreaked upon Arendelle.

It was going to be a long day.

\

Anna walked into the Council room, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor. Elsa had filled her in on what everyone was going to be talking about, but the knowledge did little to assure the redhead. Despite her position as the monarch's attendant, part of Anna still felt like an interloper during the time she spent observing these discussions.

The two women were the last to arrive. Taking up her post behind Elsa's throne, the dark mood prevalent in the room became apparent to the redhead almost immediately. Every single Councilor wore a hard look, grief plain on every one of their faces. Evangeline in particular looked upset. The spymaster was almost unfailingly stoic, but today her pupils were etched in anger and sadness. She was staring down at the table so hard that it appeared as if she was trying to bore holes in it.

Elsa's voice broke through the oppressive silence.

"Before we begin, I would like to call for a moment of silence," she said. Her regal tone was still in place, but it was unmistakably tinged with grief. Elsa didn't specify what the moment of silence was for. She didn't need to.

Ten seconds passed as everyone looked down at their hands. Anna noticed Evangeline's fingers clenching.

"Councilor Vlora was a servant of Arendelle. For decades, she was an indispensable advisor at this table, both to my parents and to me. Her years of service will be honored with..."

Thus, the meeting commenced. Anna listened with more interest than was typical, but she couldn't help but notice General Kale, who was glaring at her with even more than disdain than usual.

"I can acknowledge that I was wrong," Elsa was saying. "I allowed my overconfidence to get the better of me, believing that my abilities would protect me from any attack. But the assailants planned their assault well. They attacked in the dark, limiting my field of vision, and coordinated their assault in a way that caught me completely by surprise. While the protection I had on hand proved sufficient to defend my life, three innocent lives were lost, and even more would have been killed if not for the presence of Princess Rapunzel. For the time being, my travels will have to be...yes, General?" she broke off. Kale was rising from his seat, clearly intending to speak.

"We are all grateful for your continued survival, Your Majesty, but your protection must be addressed," he began. "From the details I have been told, it seems that the attackers very nearly succeeded in taking your life, and may well have done so if luck had not been on your side."

Elsa frowned. "What do you suggest? Increasing the number of Royal Guards?"

"Yes, but you must also eliminate the weak link." Kale's gaze shifted to Anna. "Although she claims to be a skilled warrior, it is to my knowledge that your personal attendant was one of the first to be struck down in the attack. The efforts of yourself and Princess Rapunzel to save her life prevented your quick extraction from the storm. It is possible that young Miss Anna may not be suitable for the responsibility..."

The change in Elsa's demeanor was so sudden that Anna briefly wondered if the Queen had been possessed. The monarch's face shifted from composed grief to blatant rage as she shot up out of her chair and slammed her hands onto the table.

"How dare you?" the Queen hissed, the room growing noticeably colder. "Anna's heroism is the only reason I am still alive today. Without hesitation, she took an arrow to the chest for a chance to save my life! And you insult her?!" Elsa demanded.

The General's face paled. "Your Majesty, I wasn't aware..."

"Since her actions do not impress you, it is clear that you do not value the life of your monarch. Am I correct?" Elsa asked, her voice ice cold.

Kale's eyes fell to the floor. "No, Your Majesty."

Slowly, the Queen sat back into her chair. "Then apologize," she commanded.

"Forgive me, Your Majes..."

"Not to me," Elsa interrupted. "To her," she pointed to Anna.

The redhead in question struggled to keep a smirk off her face. It was a guilty pleasure, to be sure, but Anna couldn't help but be touched by Elsa's defensiveness. After all she had done for the Queen, it was getting exceedingly tiring to be on the receiving end of half the castle's disdain. But the monarch taking her side made most of her resentment melt away.

At the Queen's words, the fear in Kale's pupils diminished, contempt again coming to the forefront of his features. But no matter how much he hated her, even he had to bow to the monarch's wishes.

"I apologize, Miss Anna," he said, his tone tinged with reluctance. Anna nodded stiffly in response, not betraying the wave of satisfaction that rushed through her.

The discussion then turned to the storm Elsa had created. Though some argued that the matter should be dropped entirely (in effect denying Elsa's responsibility in the matter) the Queen was adamant that the truth be disclosed and reparations be awarded.

"It was my abilities that brought destruction upon our people. To deny this would strain the crown's credibility, invite rampant speculation, and most importantly would not reimburse those whose lives were affected by the damage," Elsa had argued. Several advisors disagreed, but ultimately the monarch overruled their concerns.

Finally, the meeting turned to the Queen's continued protection. It was agreed upon that Elsa would be accompanied by a larger guard detail outside the Palace in addition to Anna and the usual number of Royal Guards. Until the perpetrators could be found, the monarch's time outside the Castle would be limited as much as possible, and anytime she had to travel in the city her route would be strenuously monitored.

"Your Majesty," a man Anna now recognized as Lord Arald spoke up. "While these measures go a long way to ensuring your safety, the fact remains that we are still no closer to discovering who was responsible. This was the second attack on your person in as many months, and we remain unaware both who planned them and why."

Elsa noticeably frowned as the Council deliberated what was to be done. Evangeline's agents still had not produced any leads as to who was responsible for the first attack, and no useful evidence at the site of last night's ambush had yet been uncovered.

"Whoever they were, they had both agents in the Royal Guard and enough resources to employ a dozen skilled assailants in a coordinated ambush," Lady Katherine pointed out. A middle aged woman with graying brown hair, Katherine was the head of one of Arendelle's wealthiest noble houses.

Anna's eyes narrowed. "What if it wasn't the same people?" the personal attendant interjected before she could stop herself. Immediately, a dozen pairs of eyes were trained on her. The redhead's heart climbed into her throat. Though she was permitted to attend these meetings as Elsa's guard, Anna was not officially permitted to speak.

Only Elsa's gaze was not hostile.

Taking a deep nervous breath, the redhead explained her reasoning. "The men who attacked us last night...they wanted to kill you. Obviously...with the fire and the arrows and the swords..." She stopped herself with another breath. "But the Royal Guards who tried to kidnap you...it was clear that they didn't want to kill you. Couldn't kill you. The last man admitted as much to me when I called his bluff...he was threatening your life, but I knew he needed you alive...obviously otherwise I wouldn't have..."

"Why are we listening to the ramblings of a peasant?" Lady Katherine interjected irritably.

The Queen fixed her gaze on the older woman. "Anna is the sole eyewitness for much of the attempt to capture me. And her reasoning is sound," Elsa said firmly. "It is plausible that it was indeed a single party behind both attacks; their motivations may have changed. But we must not discount the possibility that it was two different groups."

That's the second time Elsa's defended me. If they didn't suspect something was between us before, they definitely will soon. Anna sighed mentally. She loved the notion of Elsa coming to her defense, but she knew the Queen didn't want their relationship to be public knowledge just yet. Hopefully the rumors would remain rumors for a while longer.

"Whoever it was that attacked last night," Elsa continued, "They were extremely devoted to their cause. Rather than be captured, one of their men chose to impale himself before he could be subjected to interrogation. Such dedication is...rare." The Queen's eyes briefly flickered over to Anna as she finished.

"That would make it unlikely that he had only taken part in the attack in exchange for money," Evangeline supplied. "These men had a cause. The only question is...what is it?"

Elsa pursed her lips. "As he died, the assassin said something strange to me. I believe his words were...'Control...you...can't...ritual.' I have not the slightest idea what he meant."

The Council was silent for a moment.

"Ritual..." Lord Arald mused. "Is it possible that the attack had something to do with magic? That might be a route worth investigating."

Evangeline frowned. "Perhaps. But what kind of ritual would involve killing the Queen?" The spymaster sighed in frustration. "We have little knowledge of magic. We know it exists. We know some can wield it. But as to how it works or what others can accomplish with it...Arendelle is blind. As is most of the world. Even after our Queen has had powers for over twenty years, we still have no idea as to how they truly work or where they came from."

For a brief moment, something lit up in Elsa's eyes. "Maybe..." she began hesitantly. But as the eyes of every person in the room turned to her, the Queen broke off the sentence. "Never mind. Evangeline, I need your agents to look into this, regardless of how little we know. Arald, Katherine, Vance, as the leaders of the three most prominent noble houses in Arendelle, I expect you to use every resource at your disposal to assist in the investigation. One attack on my person is troubling. Two is a disaster. Never in the last century has the monarch of Arendelle been so threatened, not even when Evangeline," she turned her gaze towards the spymaster, "Barely managed to intercept Duke Overland's assassination attempt on my parents fifteen years ago. I refuse to allow those who threaten my life and my kingdom the chance to regroup and attack again. Everyone in this room will do everything in their power to root out those responsible. Time and expenses are irrelevant. Am I understood?"

Around the table, everyone on the Council nodded.

"Thank you. You are all dismissed," the monarch ended the meeting.


	21. Chapter 21

After a meeting that had taken over three hours to conclude, Elsa was eager to sit down for lunch. Anna walking beside her, the Queen briskly made her way to the dining hall and requested the servants to begin preparing the midday meal, while also sending a messenger to find Princess Rapunzel.

The monarch took her place at the head of the table, noting with satisfaction that her redhead automatically sat in her usual chair. After over a month in the Castle, Anna was finally beginning to come into her element. Of course, now that she eating with the Queen for almost every meal, the redhead had had a lot of practice at the table.

"Why does Kale hate me so much, Your Majesty?" Anna questioned, evidently being mindful of the presence of the servants that were preparing her meal.

Elsa sighed. "It's not that he hates you in particular. He hates what you represent. For centuries, the Royal Guards have alone been responsible for the protection of Arendelle's monarch. Now you, someone who had never officially been in my service, have been appointed as my personal guard. To Kale, that makes you an usurper of his order's proud duty. Plus, he's an elitist by nature," the Queen explained.

Anna nodded. "Some people here are never going to accept me, are they?" It wasn't a question.

The monarch shook her head, not bothering to deny it. Elsa had been doing her best to help Anna adjust to this lifestyle. But even if the redhead dressed like a noble, ate like a noble, and behaved like a noble for decades, some in the Castle would never approve of her, simply because of her low birth. Even once their relationship became public, many would continue to resent her...although they would likely be more discreet about it. In fact, the announcement of her relationship would probably serve to make some nobles hate Anna more.

Their conversation was erupted by the main door to the dining hall opening. In the doorway stood a familiar brunette Princess, her usual warm smile plastered across her face.

"Anna, I'm so glad you're okay!" Rapunzel said, hurrying over to the table.

"Thanks to you!" the redhead said brightly. "E-Her Majesty told me how you saved my life!"

"I believe you saved mine first. Somehow, you got me out of that burning carriage when I was knocked out. It was only fair that I returned the favor," the Princess grinned as she took her own seat.

Given the commotion that had occurred last night, Rapunzel's return to Corona had been delayed until tomorrow. As the three women began to sink into lunch, Elsa noted with a twinge of sadness that this would be one of their final meals together. Over the last week, the Queen had grown very accustomed to spending time with her cousin, and there was no telling when they would see each other again.

As usual, the conversation between them was amiable, but Elsa couldn't help but notice that Anna seemed a bit more distant than was typical.

"Something on your mind?" the Queen questioned as they finished eating.

Anna pursed her lips. "I was just thinking about what you..." she paused. "Maybe this isn't the place," the redhead murmured, motioning towards the room's servant's entrance.

\

A half hour later, the three women found themselves in Elsa's study, sitting in their usual chairs.

"So..." Anna began once they were seated.

"Yes?" Elsa prompted curiously. She had no idea what her personal attendant wanted to talk about. It didn't appear to be too urgent, but Anna obviously thought it sensitive enough to not be spoken of in front of the servants.

The redhead bit her lip. "During the meeting today, when we-you were talking about magic, for a moment it looked like you were about to say something, but then you stopped. Do you know something you didn't want to tell the Council?"

Elsa stared at her for a moment. Then she laughed lightly.

"Seriously? That's what made you ask for a private meeting?" she chuckled.

Anna's face flushed red. "I'm sorry, I just..." she stopped. Suddenly, a distinctive flash of anger appeared on her face. "Wait, no I'm not! Here I am, all worried about you, and your only reaction is to laugh at me?"

"You're worried about me?"

The redhead's mouth gaped open. "Worried about...of course I am? Do you think I've already forgotten about last night? What I am supposed to think when, less than a day after we're all nearly killed, you suddenly remember some sensitive piece of information so troubling that you won't even confide in it to your Council?"

Elsa frowned. True, Anna was overreacting to the situation, but her concern was endearing. And no one could inspire guilt in the Queen like Anna could.

"Anna...I apologize. I didn't mean to worry you. Yes, I thought of something during the meeting, but I decided not to mention it because it was too ridiculous, not because it was frightening."

At her words, both Anna and Rapunzel raised their eyebrows.

Elsa sighed. "Talking about magic reminded me of something I once read in my father's journal. He talked about...it doesn't matter. It was so ludicrous, it was probably just a story he decided to write while passing the time during some of his travels. Or a recounting of a strange dream he had."

"What was it?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter," Elsa repeated. "My father didn't write in his journal often; it was left behind before my parents' last voyage. He wasn't exactly a dutiful writer. It was probably just a story he made up for my mother."

Anna glared at her. "You mean you might know something that could help us learn about the people who attacked you, and you're hiding it because you think it's too ridiculous?" she demanded.

"Anna I-"

"After all that talk about how we have to do everything we can to find answers?" Anna continued firmly. She rose to her feet, hands clenched at her sides. "How crazy can it be, anyway? Rapunzel has healing tears she got from a golden flower! I'm stronger and can run faster than any man in the kingdom. And you...look at what you can do! Compared to all that, what can be considered ridiculous?"

"Rock trolls."

Anna stared at her dumbly. "Rock trolls?" she asked.

Elsa nodded. "My father wrote that he knew of small purple trolls, made of rock, that lived in the hills of the North Mountain. Apparently, they had great knowledge of magic...and could do plenty of it themselves. According to his journal, when I was little he intended to travel to where they were located and obtain answers on my powers. Whether he ever did or not...he never wrote it down."

"So let's go find them!" Anna declared, raising her arms into the air.

Despite herself, Elsa couldn't help but giggle at her attendant's misguided enthusiasm. "Anna...they probably don't even exist. I know we all have strange powers, but...rock trolls? It seems a little hard to believe."

"Maybe," Anna admitted. "But it's worth checking out! Maybe your father was writing truthfully. Just send out some soldiers to the North Mountain and see if they can find anything!"

"Anna," she began, exasperation now leaking into her voice. "The North Mountain is over one hundred miles away. I can't send a group of soldiers in the dead of winter to go searching for a pack of rock trolls. With the weather as it is...it'd be extremely difficult for them to search anyway."

She paused. Maybe Anna had a point, after all. They were desperate for leads...any leads, and her father's writings were probably more credible than other information that her agents would be following up on.

"Maybe in the spring," Elsa consented. "When it's warm enough for them to remain outside for extended periods and easy enough to travel. But right now, anyone I sent would barely be able to search, and the cold would be so discouraging that they probably would barely even try."

Anna's eyes widened. "Not me!" she declared.

"No!" Elsa reacted automatically.

"But-"

"No," the Queen repeated. "I am not sending you out in the middle of winter to look for rock trolls over a hundred miles away. Either with a group of soldiers or by yourself!"

"We need any information we can get!" Anna argued, a fierce light in her eyes. "With your life at stake, we can't afford to wait until spring! If they exist, there's a chance these trolls might know something that will help us protect you, and that alone is worth it!"

Elsa concentrated, willing her power to not seep out and begin to chill the room. After just having come so close to losing Anna, the last thing Elsa was doing to do was send the redhead out on a dangerous mission in search of a fool's errand.

"I said no, Anna!" she repeated, nearly shouting now.

Her personal attendant stared at her, the look in her eyes reminding the Queen of the stubborn gaze of a spoiled child who wasn't getting her way.

"Elsa, I can handle the cold. Maybe not as well as you, but way better than your men. With all the energy I have now, I could search for hours each day. Please...I can do it!"

The monarch shook her head. "I trust no one more than you, Anna, but this...search...would be dangerous to anyone. Even me, with all my power and immunity to the cold, would be at risk. The area around the North Mountain is within our borders, but it isn't civilized, especially during the winter. Anything could happen, and I'm not about to gamble your life in the vain hope that there might be living rocks who know something about magic!"

"Elsa-"

The Queen cut her off with a firm glare. "I know you want to protect me, Anna. I know you want what's best for me. But I'm the Queen. It's my job to make the decisions. I know you don't agree with this choice, but I've been ruling a kingdom for five years now, and so far my decisions have turned out fairly well. So please, trust my judgment and do as I say. You're more valuable here, and this mission wouldn't be worth it."

Anna sighed, the redhead's eyes tinged with defeat.

"Fine," she huffed, falling back into her seat.

Elsa smiled. "Good," she said. "Now if you'll excuse us, dear cousin, I have a meeting concerning Vlora's funeral. My personal attendant will be joining me, of course, doing her job of guarding me. It is a job she is very skilled at, though I feel that her performance would suffer if she traveled over a hundred miles away. Come along, Anna," she ordered.

It was petty, she knew, but Elsa couldn't resist the opportunity to hit Anna with a few verbal jabs after their heated argument. Besides, that was one of the perks of being Queen, after all. She always got the last word.

Rapunzel, who had wisely kept quiet during the couple's debate, offered her a soft smile.

\

It was midnight by the time Anna finally returned to her rooms. Elsa's schedule had been busy throughout the day, and that meant that her schedule had been busy.

It was pitch black outside. The redhead was eager to climb into bed, close her eyes, and allow her dreams to take her.

But Anna wouldn't be sleeping in this bed tonight. Or for the next several nights, for that matter.

Instead of changing into one of her silken nightgowns, Anna merely placed on her winter coat over her usual uniform, checked to make sure her sword was still in its proper position, and added on the newest addition to her wardrobe.

After their argument, Elsa had gifted her with a double knife scabbard already filled with two sharp daggers. It was meant to give Anna more methods to defend her Queen, and also (though the stubborn monarch hadn't admitted it) intended as an apology of sorts for their verbal spat earlier.

Anna was going to use it sooner than intended.

She packed a light bag with an extra set of clothes and thought over her next move. Climbing out of the window could work, but it would look to suspicious if she was spotted. Better to take her chances and simply walk out of the door. Most of the guards knew who she was now, and since they knew Anna was able to walk anywhere she pleased within the Castle they would probably not even question where she was going.

Sighing, Anna placed a letter on her dresser, the front of the envelope emblazoned with Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elsa in Anna's inelegant script. Elsa would be enraged by her departure, she knew, but at least she would be certain where Anna had gone off to.

She took a last, longing glance at her bed before walking out the door.

"Leaving without saying goodbye?"

Anna whirled around. There, standing in the hallway not five feet behind her door stood Rapunzel, arms crossed and her back slouched against the wall.

"Oh!...Hi Rapunzel! Yeah, I'm just headed down to the kitchens for a midnight snack. I'm still a little hungry after all those meetings after dinner," she explained desperately.

The Princess rolled her eyes. "Please, just don't give me that crap. We both know where you're going. You don't exactly need to bring a sword and two knives on your long and perilous journey to the kitchens.

Anna's face burned bright red. "How...how did you...?"

"Know you were going to leave?" the Princess smirked. "I married a former thief, Anna. I know the look in someone's eye that appears when they're about to go against orders. He may be reformed, but Eugene still..."

"Fine, you caught me." Anna admitted, cutting her friend off. They were too far away from the guards' posts to be overheard, but Anna didn't want to waste more time than she had to. "I'm going to the North Mountain. If there's something there that can tell us about Elsa's magic, than I'm going to find it."

The Princess frowned. "I thought you were loyal to Elsa above all else? That's what you've sworn anyway," she pointed out.

Anna's eyes narrowed. "There's a difference between loyalty and obedience. I have to protect my Queen, even if it means going against her orders."

"But why? Why can't you just accept her judgment? Making the decisions is her responsibility."

The redhead scowled. "So you think I should just follow the rules?" she demanded.

Rapunzel sighed. "Anna, I-"

"Do you know where I'd be..." Anna interrupted, "If everyone followed the rules? I'd be in a prison, shivering in the dark and dressed in rags, sentenced there for life for the crime of attempting to rob the Queen. That's what would have happened to me if Elsa had followed the rules. Instead, I'm living like a noble inside Arendelle's Royal Palace, happy and warm and fed!" the redhead hissed. "She could have killed me. Even after I saved her, Elsa would have been free to just let me out back into the world, back to a life that I would have managed to survive in for maybe a decade at most! But instead, she gave me a home. A job. A future. And I am going to save her, even if it means disobeying her direct orders. Don't try to stop me."

Rapunzel sighed. "You owe her your life, Anna," the Princess agreed. "But she owes you hers too, twice over now. If you hadn't been there yesterday-"

"I know!" Anna cut her off. "This isn't about repaying a debt...trying to get even. I don't care who owes who at this point. All I care about is that...I love her. I can't stand by and watch as she doesn't do everything she can to prevent another attack. My instincts tell me she's making a mistake, and I'm not going to let it be one that destroys her."

"And how do you plan on getting there?" the Princess demanded. "The North Mountain is two day's journey on horseback in the winter. Do you have a horse. Do you even have money?"

Anna shook her head. She knew she was being rash, but she couldn't bring herself to steal something from the Palace, even for a noble purpose. Normally, she would have asked Elsa for money, but that obviously wasn't a good idea in this situation. She'd be confined to her room by a battalion of ice soldiers before she could blink.

Still, Anna had plenty of experience walking through the countryside, and she hadn't been practically superhuman before. It wouldn't be easy, but she would make it. If worst came to worst, she would sell her extra clothes in order to buy food. Elsa had made it clear that the clothes were hers, so she felt no guilt in pawning off the fine silks.

"Then you'd better come with me," the Princess declared.

Anna stared at her. "What?"

"Obviously, I can't let you go off to the North Mountain without money and a horse. Luckily, I know someone who has both. Follow me," she turned and started down the hall. The redhead's mouth gaped open in shock.

"You're helping me?" Anna sputtered as she raced after Rapunzel.

The Princess smiled at her. "Of course. Anna, If I myself had always followed the rules, I'd still be a prisoner in Gothel's tower. Sometimes we have to do what's right instead of what's expected. These trolls might not exist, but Elsa can't afford to not look into it. The Queen should be sending you, you're definitely the best woman for the job, but she's too concerned with protecting you to admit it."

"Then why did you let me go on for so long?" Anna demanded. Still, a rush of gratitude raced through her. Rapunzel really was something.

The Princess grinned. "Honestly? I thought your rant was pretty adorable. It was so sweet...too bad Elsa wasn't there to hear it."

"Don't worry about that," Anna grimaced. "I'm sure I'll be repeating it when I get back...in the process of begging Elsa not to stick me through with an icicle. Gods, she's going to be furious..."

Rapunzel nodded. "That's love for you."

\

Making it out of the Castle with ease thanks to Rapunzel's presence, Anna was quickly led to the Royal Stables. Any guards who saw them immediately bowed to the Princess and went about their way.

"I never really get a chance to use her, but as the heir to Arendelle I've been given a horse here for my personal use," Rapunzel explained as they walked through the stables. She stopped the redhead at the end of a line of horses, showing her to a mare.

Anna's eyes widened as she perceived the horse the Princess had indicated. It was of medium build, the perfect size for a slim Princess. A smooth leather saddle hung around his back, complete with a set of reins. But what caught the redhead's attention was the horse's skin. It was pitch black, so dark that Anna doubted she would be able to see the mare were it not for the flickering lamplight.

"Easy, Shadow," Rapunzel cooed as she stepped over to the horse and patted its flank. "This is Anna, she's going to be riding you for a few days."

"Wait, what?" Anna stepped back, holding out her palms in front of her as the horse nickered in her direction.

"Well, why did you think I was showing you my horse?"

Anna took a moment to process the information. She was being offered the personal mount of the Princess of Corona, Heir Presumptive of Arendelle.

"Rapunzel, you're amazing...but I couldn't. I'm not that good of a rider. What if something happens?" she protested.

"That's why you need to take Shadow. She's the perfect size for you, fast, easy to handle, and sturdy. You won't be falling off anytime soon," Rapunzel promised.

She moved to argue again, but Rapunzel cut her off. "You still owe it to Elsa to do everything you can to get back safely," the Princess added. "Shadow's your best bet." At her words, the horse seemed to raise her head proudly, although that might have been Anna's overactive imagination.

"Alright," Anna agreed reluctantly. "I mean...thanks!" she amended, not wanting to sound ungrateful. And she was grateful. Just nervous.

Rapunzel nodded. "Take this as well." The Princess reached into her pocket, pulling out a blue pouch that jiggled as it was pressed into Anna's hand.

The redhead thought to protest, but immediately thought better of it. Rapunzel was right. She had to get back to Elsa. Money would make that a lot easier, and Anna knew the Princess had plenty of it.

Besides, she had grown accustomed towards sleeping in a warm bed every night.

As she slipped the bag into her own pocket, Rapunzel lunged forward, pulling her into a hug. Pleasantly surprised, Anna returned the embrace, realizing with sadness that this would be the last time she saw her new friend in a while. By the time she returned, the Princess would be long gone. They hadn't know each other for too long, but Anna knew she would miss her.

"Thanks for everything," Anna whispered.

Rapunzel hugged her tighter. "Be safe out there," she implored as her head rested against Anna's shoulder. "Elsa had a point; it's dangerous out there."

"I will."

Pulling apart, Anna smiled at Rapunzel once more before grabbing the reins and easily leaping onto the mare's saddle.

"Do try and bring her back. Good horses aren't easy to find these days," the Princess requested.

Swallowing nervously, the redhead nodded.

"I'll see you soon. Good luck Anna," the Princess said. She stepped to the side, allowing Shadow free passage out of the stables.

She nodded at Rapunzel one last time before cracking the reins, urging the mare forward. Suddenly, they were racing out of the stables. Within seconds, Shadow was thundering across the Castle grounds. As they were coming from inside the walls, the guards posted at the gate heard their approach and let them through without even bothering to stop her.

Anna couldn't help but bask in the thrill of it as they made their way down the main road of the Royal City, now deserted at this time of night. Rapunzel was right; Shadow was easily controlled and very fast. The air whipped past her face, ruffling her hair. She felt good. She felt alive.

The allure of adventure beckoned.

\

"Who is that?" one man demanded.

They were sitting together for a late meeting, lodged in their temporary headquarters. The man in question had shot up out of his chair, pointing out of the room's spacious window. What almost appeared to be a black speck was racing down the road, a flicker of red hanging above it.

All heads in the room turned towards the scene. They were only on the second floor, and the candle-lit lamps outside on the main street provided plenty of illumination. As the shape approached their dwelling, it was obvious what it was.

"Just some stupid girl going on a joyride," a woman declared. As the horse sped alongside her dwelling for a moment, it became clear to all that her words were correct. It was a young woman with red hair and a splattering of freckles, riding atop a black horse.

Only one man seemed affected by the revelation.

"It's her," he breathed in shock.

The leader turned to him. "Who?" he demanded roughly.

"That bitch...I would recognize her anywhere," he snarled. Having been stationed in the Castle, he'd been called out to attend this night's meeting and report what he knew. And his knowledge was about to come in handy.

"That was Elsa's new lapdog."

Everyone in the room stared at him.

"Are you certain?" the leader questioned. His voice was hesitant, but there was an undeniable hint of anticipation contained within his words.

"Completely," he promised.

For a moment, their leader was silent. He stared out the window, contemplating their next move.

"Gentlemen," he began. "An enormous opportunity has landed upon our shoulders. It appears as if our target is riding outside the city alone, equipped for a long journey. It doesn't matter why. I want six of our fastest riders after her in ten minutes."

The room was instantly consumed by a rush of activity, men and women acting quickly to relay the orders. But their leader had one final directive, and his voice was so commanding that they all heard it.

"And make sure the crossbow bolts they use are poisoned," he added. "I don't want any chances taken with this one."


	22. Chapter 22

"Easy, Shadow," Anna beckoned, pulling back lightly on the mare's reins. Her mount seemed to huff in disappointment, but Anna's command was obeyed.

It was over two hours since they'd ridden past the outskirts of the city, and the road was becoming increasingly more hazardous as they journeyed into the woods. Thankfully, it had been a sunny day, so much of the snow on the ground had melted, leaving less than six inches of powder still on the ground. Regardless, Anna was not a talented rider by any means, and so the redhead decided to slow the horse to a moderate gallop despite the fact that Shadow still seemed to possess a lot of stamina.

If memory of her previous travels served her correctly, there was a small town not too far up the road that would serve as an acceptable place for her to spend the night. There would almost certainly be an inn there, meaning that Anna would probably be able to rest in a warm bed with her belly full. Still, her mind couldn't help but longingly think back to the Castle, where her velvet sheets and marble bathtub were going to remain unused. As pleasant as a tavern could be, it couldn't compete with the Palace.

Really, Anna? A month of good living and you've already gone soft? Before you met Elsa you would have been overjoyed to have a bed at all during the winter! she mentally scolded herself.

Her mind wandered to Elsa, wondering what the Queen was doing at this moment. Probably sleeping, Anna noted. Elsa was definitely one of those early to bed early to rise types. At the thought of the monarch waking up, Anna's heart lurched uncomfortably.

What would Elsa's reaction be to her departure? Maybe she would...no, Anna already knew what it would be. The Queen would be furious. As good a person as Elsa was, she was someone who was very accustomed to getting her way. Discovering that someone she cared about had defied her explicit orders and run off on a potentially dangerous mission was going to make Elsa's blood boil.

How would the Queen react when she returned? Would Elsa be so furious that she would end things between them and demand Anna leave the Castle for good?

No. She wouldn't. She promised.

As mad as Elsa would be at her, she wasn't going to end their relationship. The Queen knew that Anna always had her best interests at heart, even if that meant going against her commands. She'd be angry, but Elsa would get over it eventually.

Right?

Despite the cold air, beads of sweat appeared on Anna's forehead.

Was she really breaking out into a sweat over this? It was crazy. Elsa wasn't that intimidating.

I mean, she's nothing more than a gorgeous woman. Who has insanely strong ice magic at her fingertips. And is the Queen...

Anna sighed. If there was something more nerve wracking than the prospect of an angry confrontation with your girlfriend (who just happened to be the most powerful woman on the planet,) then she would be glad to know what it was.

Thump. Thump. Thumpthumpthump.

Anna's head whipped around. Racing up the road behind her was a small group of horsemen. Despite the somewhat difficult terrain, they were riding quickly, navigating the path with much more ease than she herself had. As they grew closer, the redhead was able to perceive that there were six of them in all. Each appeared to be a large burly man, and all rode as if a devil was chasing them.

The distance between them steadily decreased. With no desire to be run over by the group of men, Anna slowed Shadow down and prepared to lead her off to the side of the road until they passed.

She turned around again. They were riding even faster now; within ten seconds they would be upon her. Why were they going so...?

Holy shit!

They were finally close enough for Anna to see them in full. Each man held a small crossbow in his hands. As she watched, the lead rider raised his weapon and aimed it directly at...

"Shadow, run!" Anna shouted, keeping her eyes on her pursuers. The redhead cracked the reins, sending the mare into a full gallop.

Thwack!

Anna flattened herself against Shadow's back as the lead rider fired at her head. The bolt whizzed over her shoulder, impaling itself in a tree off to the side of the road.

Her brain rapidly processed the details. These men were armed, deadly, and here to kill her.

How did they know I'd be here?! Probably followed my trail through the snow…why do they want to kill me anyway? Who the hell are these people!

Rising back up in the saddle, Anna cleared her head of all extraneous thoughts. Questions could wait until later. Right now, the only thing that mattered was survival.

She urged Shadow on, and the horse thundered down the road. A quick glance over her shoulder told Anna that the lead rider was struggling to reload, with his fellows behind him attempting to bring their own weapons to bear. Despite being burdened by their crossbows and their efforts to aim them, her pursers remained galloping at least as swiftly as she was. Shadow was fast, but Anna wasn't a skilled rider by any means. Ordinarily, she wouldn't dare to go nearly this fast in the dark with the woods surrounding them, but for the moment the threat of death spurred her to take the risk.

They whipped around a curve in the road, the assassins right on their tail.

The next stretch of road before them was straight, giving Anna enough breathing room to risk a long look behind her. By now, the first man had nearly finished reloading, and one of his companions was pulling even with him, crossbow likewise in hand. Any second, and they would both...

Thwack! Thwack!

Anna wasn't certain whether it was her training or Elsa's magic that was responsible, but her reflexes had improved greatly over the last month. She leaned to the right in the saddle, hanging on only by maintaining a death grip on the reins. Shadow's running slowed as Anna inadvertently choked her, but both bolts missed their mark.

"Sorry Shadow!" she grunted as she maneuvered fully back into the saddle. The mare's breathing was noticeably more labored than before, but to her credit Shadow continued on at full speed.

The redhead glanced over her shoulder again. Both horsemen who had just fired were doing their best to reload, but for some reason they were now parting to the side of the road...

Shit! Two of their fellows were riding into the gap that the lead riders had created, crossbows already primed.

Thwack! Thwack!

Anna twisted desperately in the saddle. One projectile whizzed past her ear, but the other...

Pain exploded in Anna's left arm as the second bolt penetrated her jacket and grazed her skin before flying off into the night.

"Aaaah!" she hissed. Already, Anna could feel warm blood flowing down her limb. The last time she'd been shot, the redhead had blacked out almost immediately, but now she remained fully conscious and capable of experiencing the stinging pain.

But Anna was still in her saddle. The wound burned, but it was not lethal in any sense of the word. Blocking out the pain as best she could, she urged Shadow onward. The mare continued at nearly top speed, but the distance between herself and her pursuers was now slowly but steadily decreasing.

She couldn't give them a chance to fire again. Anna had been lucky thus far, but soon they would be so close that it would be impossible for them to miss.

Struggling to keep her balance, Anna's hand reached toward her thighs and extracted one of her knives. Letting instinct guide her, Anna looked over her shoulder, eyes zeroing in on the lead rider. She brought back her wrist slightly before flinging it forward, launching the blade smoothly through the air.

The man screamed as her knife suddenly appeared in his shoulder blade. With a scream, he released his mount's reins and fell to the ground. The now riderless horse sprinted off into the trees.

Anna clenched her teeth. One man was down, but five enemies remained...and she only had one knife left. Already, the two forward pursuers were finishing reloading.

She continued to ride on. Ahead of her, the road sharply curved to the left. Anna looked backward, her desperation as the men prepared to aim their crossbows.

Suddenly, an idea came to her, but Anna's mind reacted with horror. It was a revolting, disgusting plan...but she had no choice. Shakily, she extracted her remaining knife and prepared for the right moment.

"Come on, Shadow!" Anna urged. The mare was beginning to tire, but with renewed determination she sped forward. Anna clenched the reins tightly, guiding her horse around the bend in the road.

Just as her assailants rounded the curve in turn, Anna threw her blade. She hated herself for her chosen target, but it was that or die.

The knife struck the leading horse in the side of the neck. With a sickening cry, the animal lost control of its legs and fell to the ground. Immediately, its rider was crushed. As Anna had planned, the chaos spread beyond the immediate targets; one rider behind the downed horse failed to maneuver in time. A likely lethal collision ensued.

The other men reacted in time. They veered off in both directions, dodging around their fallen fellows.

"Dammit!" Anna cursed. She was out of projectiles...and the redhead was still outnumbered three to one. The trio of remaining attackers pulled up evenly with one another, all of them now with loaded crossbows.

Thwack!

Anna ducked, and the first bolt went sailing over her head.

Thwack! Thwack!

The second projectile flew off to the right, missing entirely. But the third...

Shadow let out an agonized cry as the final bolt struck the horse in the right leg. To the mare's credit, she didn't collapse immediately. The horse stumbled violently, barely managing to remain upright.

Anna was not so lucky. As Shadow faltered, the pair were passing over a rather large bump in the road. She had the reins in a firm grip, but the impact was so jarring that the leather was torn in two pieces...sending Anna flying.

For a moment, the redhead was weightless as she was careening through the air.

Wham!

Anna collided with the snow, her momentum sending her rolling several feet. The wind was knocked out of her instantly, but the redhead didn't register any other injuries for the moment.

In a flash, she was on her feet and breathing heavily, her hands automatically pulling her sword from its sheathe. Behind her, Shadow came to a stop, but Anna had no time to mount her again. The enemy was upon her.

The only piece of good news was that none of them still had a loaded bow.

They charged, clearly intent on running her over.

She rolled to the right, evading the legs of the rightmost horse by inches. Still on her knees, Anna lashed out with her sword, cutting through said horse's back left leg.

As the two remaining horses continued on, the wounded mount crumbled to the ground, its rider rolling off the saddle and into the snow. Barring her teeth, Anna pounced on the stunned assailant. Her sword was plunged into his chest before he could even think about withdrawing his own weapon.

Grimacing, Anna extracted her now blood-soaked blade and focused her gaze on the road ahead.

The final two assailants had slowed their horses to a stop, not having enough room to wheel around and charge her again. Dropping their crossbows to the ground, both men dismounted before withdrawing swords of their own.

Anna stared them down, resisting the urge to drop to her knees and pant. Her fall had taken a lot out of her, and the pain in her left arm was only getting worse. She had to end this fight quickly.

With a yell, she ran towards her enemies.

Wielding her blade in her right hand, she met one man's two-handed strike with a high parry. As she used her strength to shove him back, Anna's free hand darted out. The second assassin, blade angled in a downward cut aimed for the redhead's neck, suddenly found his wrist held in Anna's death grip. Before he could react, the redhead plunged her sword into his chest.

With a strangled cry, her enemy collapsed to the ground. Anna pulled out her gleaming red blade and turned just in time to block a furious barrage of strikes from the last assailant. His every vicious attack sent a pulse of pain through her left arm, but the redhead held her ground.

Her opponent was good. In terms of skill, he probably held the advantage. But he couldn't compete with Anna's sheer strength and speed. She slammed his blade downward, preparing to angle her sword up and slice through his stomach…but a sudden thought made her hesitate.

I need to know why these men are after me. And that means I need him alive.

Forgoing the opportunity to end him then and there, Anna leapt backwards out of range. As he raised his blade once again, the redhead charged forward with a stab aimed at his neck.

He brought his blade across his body in a rapid parry, but Anna was already disengaging. She deftly angled her sword around his block before transitioning into a smooth cut to the right.

Her blade sliced through his weapon hand. The severed limb and the sword it still clutched fell to the ground.

With a wild cry, he stumbled back, his blood leaving a red trail through the snow. Within a second, Anna was on him, slamming her helpless opponent to the ground. Before he could react, she was standing over him, the tip of her sword six inches from his neck.

"Who the hell are you?!" Anna demanded. "What the fuck made you want to kill me?!"

Her enemy stared up at her in blind fury.

"How...how the hell are you not dead?" he managed through the pain.

"Excuse me?" she shot back. True, many wouldn't have survived her violent fall, but that should hardly have been this man's primary concern at the moment.

"Talk," Anna hissed, brining her blade a few inches closer to his flesh.

A strange light appeared in the man's eyes. His mouth set into a wry grin.

Then he was rising off the ground, using his remaining hand to propel himself to his feet. Anna reacted automatically. It was all too easy to meet his rise with the tip of her blade. Her weapon stabbed through his neck.

Her enemy took one last choked breath, then fell back into the snow.

Sighing, Anna extracted her blade and took a few steps backward.

In a way, he had won. The man had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had no hope of attacking Anna from that position. His sole intent had been to force her hand into killing him, before she could try and torture information out of him.

Would she have done that? Anna didn't think so. Circumstances had turned her into a killer, but cold-blooded torture was something she could never bring herself to perform.

He chose to die rather than talk…almost without hesitation. Who the hell are these people?

In a way, she couldn't help but admire him. Choosing to fatally impale himself for his cause...whatever it was...that showed real dedication.

But his final act had revealed more than he intended. These men hadn't been bandits. A thief would have simply confessed to the act if there was a chance he might be spared. These men had been on a mission.

The man Elsa confronted also chose to die. Is this the same group? But that doesn't make any sense. Elsa's miles away. Why would they be after me?

Grimacing, Anna began to make her way back towards Shadow. These were questions that Elsa was suited to answer, not her. Perhaps the Queen would be able to divine some insight that Anna had not...

The redhead froze mid step as she took in the sight of her horse. She had expected the mare to still be standing. The crossbow bolts had been small, and her mount had only been hit in the leg. She had planned to simply fashion a bandage and walk the mare to the next town.

Anna's eyes widened in horror. Instead of limping across the ground, Shadow was now collapsed onto her side, lying in the snow. The mare was breathing violently...foam from her mouth was spilling out onto the white powder.

"Shadow!"

Ignoring the pain in her arm, Anna sprinted over to the mare. Obeying her initial instinct, she hurried to check the wound in the horse's leg. Blood was still running down her black flesh, but it didn't seem enough to be life threatening.

Shadow's chest heaved in and out as the mare struggled to continue breathing. The horse's eyes were wide with panic; her entire body was jerking now.

"No! You're...please Shadow! You're okay...you're okay. It's just a small wound," she said, trying to keep her voice soothing despite her desperation. "I'm going to patch it up...okay Shadow?"

Before Anna could move back to the mare's leg, the jerking suddenly stopped. Shadow's chest heaved one final time before going still.

"No!"

Tears running down her face, Anna shuffled over to Shadow's head. The mare's eyes were now closed, her head now lying listless on the ground.

Anna fell to her knees, sobbing. Her valiant horse was dead...all because Anna hadn't been fast enough. Hadn't killed the assassins quickly enough. Any remorse she had for their deaths disappeared as a single word appeared in her mind.

Poison.

Their bolts had been coated with some kind of venom. It was the only explanation. Nothing else could account for Shadow's death. Blood loss could not have killed the mare so quickly...or so violently. All of their bolts had probably been dipped in some kind of...

Oh gods...

Panic welling up inside her, Anna examined the wound in her left arm. Fingers trembling, she pulled back the tattered remnants of her sleeve and looked at where the bolt had penetrated.

A gash half an inch deep was etched into her skin, blood still oozing from it.

How was she not dead? Anna had been struck first, and the wound was certainly deep enough for the poison to have entered her system.

Elsa...

Somehow, the Queen's magic had done more than increase her physical resistance to damage. It was certainly a strange explanation, but it was the only one that made sense. If one bolt had been poisoned, all of them had been.

Another question to ask the trolls. If I ever get that far.

With a heavy sigh, Anna wiped the tears off her cheeks. She needed to consider her next move. It might have been the smart thing to do at this point, but she refused to consider going back to the Castle. One way or another, this attack had something to do with the conspiracy against Elsa. It was just too coincidental to be otherwise. That meant that whoever was after the Queen still had plenty of resources to spare; how else could five men have been sent after her?

With such an urgent need for answers, Anna refused to return to her Queen with nothing.

Right now, her priority was survival. Anna had killed the assassins and survived the attack, but she was now out in the cold...without a mount. They hadn't been killed, but the two remaining horses of her assailants had long since bolted. The cries of their masters and the thick stench of blood had doubtlessly unnerved them, and the sight of Shadow convulsing on the ground had probably been the final nail of the coffin.

Anna was alone. Even worse, there remained a possibility that the men she had encountered had just been the first group sent after her. Anna couldn't imagine someone wanting her dead so badly that they would send more than one search party to kill her, but she wasn't going to take any chances.

\

It was an hour later before she finally arrived in town.

After the heartbreaking task of hauling Shadow's corpse off the road, Anna's newfound speed and stamina had proved just enough to get her into the small village she had planned on riding into. The pain in her arm eventually numbed thanks to the cold, but the redhead knew leaving the gash exposed for too long was a bad idea, and had thus fashioned a crude bandage out of one of the jackets of the fallen men. If nothing else, it at least slowed the bleeding to a trickle.

The village was relatively small; judging by the number of buildings in town and the size of the outlying farms, only a few hundred people at most could have live in the area. Still, that was enough to warrant an inn.

She soon zeroed in on a large building near the center of town.

Oaken's Inn...and Trading Post the sign outside said. Relieved, she brushed the snow off her jacket as best she could before opening the door.

A small, fire-lit room greeted her. Various goods and supplies were hung on almost every inch of the walls. At the far end of the lobby was a large counter, behind which stood a tall, portly man. His large biceps would have made him intimidating were it not for the jolly smile that sat beneath his mustache.

"Yoo-hoo!" he greeted as Anna stepped towards the counter. "Cold outside...want a warm room for the night, ya?"

The redhead nodded vigorously. "That would be great, uh..."

"Oaken," the man supplied.

"Oh, right! Probably should have known that from the sign...anyway, how much for a room for a night? On second thought," she added quickly, "I might need some bandages and a warm meal too."

Oaken frowned. "Oh dear..." he began, twirling his fingers together..."Supply and demand have a big problem. Only one package of bandages..." he reached below the counter and placed it on the table, "In the store tonight. And only a few open rooms."

The man paused, probably taking in both her temporary bandage and the fact that she had nowhere else to spend the night.

"Of course, I could offer special discount, if..."

"No, no," Anna raised her hands. "That's nice of you...but I can pay," she promised. "How much?"

Oaken smiled. "That will be fifty. Unless you want a suite, which will be an extra twenty," he added. "More space and privacy, ya?"

Anna couldn't resist. She was exhausted, and anything that could help her get some sleep would be well worth it. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the bag of gold Rapunzel had given her.

Rapunzel...

The redhead felt another pang at the reminder of the night's events. And she couldn't help but think how the Princess would react to the news of her mare's death. Anna knew Rapunzel well enough to guess that the heiress wouldn't blame her, but she had a feeling that Rapunzel would be deeply saddened.

"Seventy, ya?" Oaken pulled her out of her thoughts.

Nodding, Anna pried open the bag. Her eyes trailed over the heap of gold coins. Forget the suite, she could probably buy the inn with what was in here.

She handed him the equivalent of seventy: two Coronanan coins (Arendelle and Corona each accepted the other's currency.)

Oaken called for a maid to show her to her room. Thanking the man, Anna did her best to push the events of the night out of her mind as she was led to the top floor. Her room turned out to be spacious and well furnished, and for the moment she was the upper floor's only occupant (there were only two suites, the other of which was empty.) It certainly wasn't the Castle, but it was better than anywhere else she'd ever slept.

A half hour later, she'd finished bandaging the gash in her arm and had been delivered a hot meal. After thanking the maid and nearly devouring the food, Anna had laid herself down in the bed, pulling the warm fur blankets over her body.

For the moment, she was safe. But now the prospect of a weeks' long journey across Arendelle awaited her, with the added probability of her being hunted down by trained assassins.

Worry and sadness keeping her awake, it was another two hours before she finally fell unconscious.


	23. Chapter 23

Anna breathed in deeply, gathering her nerves. With a trembling fist, she reached out and knocked on the door in front of her.

"Enter!"

Tentatively, the redhead opened the door and walked into Elsa's study. The Queen was sitting down at her desk, looking at some paperwork.

Anna wasn't certain what she should do next. Run up to the monarch and tell her how much she had missed her? Fall to her knees and beg her mistress for forgiveness? Or simply remain where she was, fiddling with the buttons on her uniform? Indecision chose the third option for her.

The Queen finally looked up. For a moment, all her face registered was shock at Anna's presence. But within three seconds, Elsa's expression had morphed into one of pure rage.

The redhead wanted to sink into her boots. She had been hoping that relief and affection would dilute Elsa's anger for her departure, but that clearly wasn't the case.

"Anna," the Queen hissed. "How dare you show yourself here again!"

"W-hat?" Anna sputtered. She had expected the Queen to be angry, but this...

The temperature in the room dropped dangerously. Icy mist began to trail off Elsa's hands.

"Did you think that you would be welcomed back with open arms?" the monarch demanded. "The one thing I cannot forgive, Anna, is betrayal."

"Betrayal?" Anna shot back. How could the Queen be accusing her of...? "Elsa, I know I disobeyed you, but I only wanted to-"

The Queen cut her off with a wave of her hand. A layer of frost materialized on Anna's lips, painfully sealing them together.

"Your motivations are irrelevant. You are a liar. A traitor. I was foolish to ever give you a chance," the Queen paused. "You are herby stripped of your position as my personal attendant. Furthermore, you are forever banished from the vicinity of Castle Arendelle."

No! Anna couldn't believe the words she was hearing. Ever since they'd met, Elsa had watched over her, taken care of her. They'd declared their love for one another! Now the Queen was acting like nothing between them had ever mattered...all because Anna had left without permission?!

Tears began to fall from the redhead's eyes. It felt like her world was ending. Elsa's words had shattered her soul and crushed her heart.

"Leave my presence. I never want to see your face again." Another wave of her hand finally dissolved the frost.

Anna stared at her. "B-but...Elsa I l-love you. I-I'm...sorry...

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "That's 'Your Majesty' to you, peasant," she said curtly. "Now leave."

Some of Anna's all-consuming sadness began to give way to anger. This wasn't the woman she'd fallen in love with. Maybe...maybe that woman had never existed in the first place. Had it all been a lie? Had Elsa always been wearing a mask?

"How...how can you do this?!" Anna shouted at the top of her lungs. "You said you loved me! You fucking promised that you'd always take care of me...that I'd always have a home with you! What the hell is wrong with you Elsa!"

"Enough," Elsa said curtly. "I've wasted enough time with you as it is. You're a beggar, Anna. A thief. It was foolish of me to ever think you could be more...to think that I could make you into more. You don't belong here."

"Elsa...!" Anna's cry was cut short by a look down at her shirt. Her uniform was gone. She was now wearing the filthy set of clothing she'd possessed before her time in the Castle. At the same time, she noticed that a layer of dirt and grime had appeared to have settled on her skin. At the same time, Anna began to feel a familiar sensation in the pit of her stomach. In an instant, the gnawing perpetual hunger that she hadn't dealt with in over a month had returned, as if all of the full meals she'd eaten in the Palace had never happened.

Wind began to whip around her, drawing her back. She tried to plant her feet on the ground, but the gust was so powerful that Anna was taken off her feet. The redhead glimpsed Elsa one last time before the wind propelled her into the air.

She slammed through the doors of the study. Still keeping her aloft, the wind carried Anna through the hallway and towards the glass window at the end of the corridor. The redhead sped through the air faster and faster, helpless to stop her momentum.

Screaming, she collided with the glass and fell towards the city below.

\

"No!" Anna cried, vaulting up from her bed with so much force that the fur blanket fell to the floor.

The redhead's eyes blinked open; Anna breathed heavily as she processed the world around her. A dream. It had all been a dream. She was still at Oaken's, in the middle of her mission to make it to the North Mountain.

Despite this realization, Anna could already feel her eyes beginning to moisten. It had all seemed so real...at least until a gust of wind had thrown her out of the Palace. Although...given that Elsa could create icy winds with her powers...

Anna shook her head. The Queen would never do that to her. Elsa would undoubtedly be pissed that Anna had left the Castle without permission, but she would never go as far as to kick Anna back out onto the streets.

Right?

The redhead sighed. Where were these thoughts coming from? Elsa had made it abundantly clear that Anna was set for life in the Castle, and the Queen had never given the former thief the slightest reason to doubt her.

But a small part of Anna, deep down, still did. It wasn't rational. But the redhead couldn't quite rid herself of the fear that, one day, Elsa would be fed up with her. That her new life would eventually prove too good to be true. It had happened before, after all...

A painful lurch pounded in her stomach as she remembered...the reason why her subconscious still had this doubt.

Anna had told Elsa of her past. And ninety-nine percent of what she'd said had been truthful. She'd lived in an orphanage until she was sixteen. She'd failed to find work afterwards and spent the next few years thieving and living on the streets.

But the one thing she'd never told the Queen was that she had been adopted.

She hadn't lied to the monarch because she'd felt ashamed. Or because she felt that it would make Elsa view her differently. No. Anna had kept the incident a secret only because it was too painful for her to talk about, and there never had been any reason to do so. It was the redhead's explicit policy to never even think about it.

But it came to her mind now.

She'd been eight years old. Though everyone told her how cute she was, Anna had never been adopted. The redhead had a reputation for being rash and wild, and most families were immediately turned off from considering her when they learned of this.

But one day, a man and woman who lived nearby had come into the orphanage looking for a daughter. And for some reason, they had been immediately taken with the redhead. Within an hour after meeting them, Anna's dream had come true. The children at the orphanage had been treated relatively well, but she had never truly fit in there. For the first time in forever, she truly felt wanted.

It had been the best day of her life. The couple, a married pair of thirty year-old merchants, chose to adopt her. They weren't wealthy in any sense of the word, but Anna hadn't cared in the slightest. Finally, she'd been given a home! A real home. Her new parents lived comfortably enough to the point that food and shelter were never an issue, and that was more than enough for Anna.

"Are you...are you my mommy now?"

The woman had beamed at her. "Yes. Yes, Anna!" she'd exclaimed, pulling the girl into a warm embrace.

For a eleven days, her new parents had doted on her. They were busy, but every day they spent time with her...playing with her and reading to her. Anna had never been happier.

But one night, everything had changed.

"With the dragon slain, the brave Knight finally released the Princess from the tower. Soon, they were married in a lovely ceremony in front of the entire kingdom. And they lived happily ever after," her mother finished the story.

Lying in bed, Anna smiled wistfully. "I wish I was a Knight, mommy."

The woman smiled at her, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Sweetheart, Knights have to train every day and go on really difficult quests. I don't think you would enjoy a life like that," she chided Anna lightly.

"Yeah, but Knights get to do amazing things. I want to be one! I want to storm castles and kill dragons and marry Princesses!"

In an instant, the warm look in her mother's eyes vanished. "You mean you want to marry a Prince, sweetheart," the woman corrected.

Anna had frowned, confused. "But Knights marry Princesses, mommy, not Princes! Besides, Princesses are nice and sweet and beautiful. Who wouldn't want to marry one?"

What followed was a two-hour long lecture, soon joined by her new father, in which both of her parents vehemently tried to convince her that she would never want to marry a Princess. Even at that age, Anna had been stubborn. She hadn't truly been aware that she was attracted to women yet...they realization didn't occur in full until she was fifteen. At the age of eight, Anna hadn't really even been aware of what it meant to be attracted to someone in the first place. All she knew was that she would be happy to marry a Princess.

Her parents repeatedly told her that such thoughts were wrong, and that such a union would be an 'abomination'. Anna hadn't really understood what they were talking about, but she refused to say that she'd rather marry a Prince. Finally giving up, her parents had left the room. Anna had fallen asleep soon after, but not before hearing her parents begin a whispered yet frantic discussion.

For the next three days, they'd been distant from her. Her 'parents' barely interacted with her except to give Anna her meals, and almost seemed to be avoiding her as if she had the plague. Anna had been sad and frightened, but part of her had hoped that they were just upset because they weren't selling enough stuff...or something like that. They did keep having long talks with hushed voices whenever Anna wasn't in the room, after all, but the redhead could never make out what they were saying.

Finally, on Anna's fourteenth day with her new family, her mother had told Anna to come with her on a trip to town. Smiling, happy that they finally wanted to spend time with her again, she'd accompanied her mother without a second thought.

To her surprise, their destination was the orphanage.

Her 'mother' left her in the lobby, had a quick but intense discussion with one of the staff, and then had exited the building without another word, leaving Anna behind. A few minutes later, the caretakers had informed the redhead that the adoption had been cancelled.

She'd spent the next two years in a deep depression. All of the other children had avoided her, acting as if she were some sort of ghost who had returned from the dead. The redhead had taken to spending nearly all of her time outside by the waterfall; that was when she truly started to learn how to climb.

It had taken years for her to figure it out. It wasn't until she was thirteen that Anna finally gained enough knowledge about the world to put the pieces together. The symbols on the walls of her parent's house. Their reaction to her declaration that she wanted to marry a Princess.

They'd belonged to one of the religions in Arendelle that vehemently opposed the idea of two women being attracted to one another. Just her luck.

In the end, their reason hadn't mattered. After a brief light of hope had appeared in her life, Anna had been discarded like a paper doll. For the next eight years, no one had considered adopting her again.

But eventually, Anna had refused to let the experience crush her. She drove it from her mind, almost trying to convince herself it had never happened. Even as her life went from bad to worse, transforming her from an unloved child in an orphanage into a homeless girl forced into thievery, part of Anna had never given up the hope that she might get another chance at a life worth living.

That chance had arrived, with compounded interest, in the form of Elsa. True, the month she'd spent with the Queen hadn't always been easy. But despite being forced to kill...and coming within a breath of death itself, Anna was forever grateful that they'd met.

Even still, the fear persisted that fate would screw her once again.

\

Elsa stared at the door of the dining hall.

Despite not being a morning person, Anna was almost never late for breakfast. In the redhead's own words, her love for food was stronger than her hatred of waking up. Therefore, it was puzzling to the Queen to see her personal attendant be absent for the first twenty minutes of the morning meal.

Rapunzel, sitting beside her, was simply enjoying her last breakfast in Arendelle. Surprisingly, she had not commented on Anna's tardiness and had brushed aside the monarch's concerns, even though the Princess had evidently grown quite fond of Anna over the past few weeks.

The Queen was just about to rise up from her chair, storm up to Anna's room, and personally drag the redhead out from under her sheets when the main door finally opened. For a moment, she smiled, but her expression quickly turned into a frown when Gerda entered the room, a letter clutched in her hands.

"Good morning, Gerda," Elsa greeted. "Correspondence from another monarch?" she questioned, nodding towards the paper held in the head servant's fingers. It was rare for the staff to interrupt her meals...unless it was very important news.

The older woman shook her head. "No, Your Majesty," she began nervously.

Elsa stared at her. "What is it?" the monarch asked. This didn't look good. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed all of the kitchen servants from the room, leaving only Rapunzel and Gerda in her presence.

The head servant walked up to the table, appearing far more apprehensive than usual.

"Your Majesty, Miss Anna is...missing. When Kayla went to give Anna her usual wake up call, she wasn't in her room. All Kayla found was this."

Fingers nearly trembling, Elsa snatched the letter out of Gerda's hand. It was addressed to Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elsa in barely readable writing that could only have belonged to Anna. Given that the redhead obviously wasn't versed in composing letters, the envelope was unsealed. She ripped the paper out and began to read.

Elsa,

By now you've probably noticed that I'm not in my room. Or in the Castle. I'm not sure exactly how to tell you this...but I left last night to go search for the trolls. I know you'll be furious, but this is something I had to do. You mean too much to me to leave your fate to chance.

I hope you can forgive me. Despite what you're probably thinking right now, I remain your faithful servant. You've bent a lot of rules for my benefit...now I'm returning the favor. I went against your orders, I won't deny it, but I'm only doing this because I want to protect you. Just tell everyone who questions where your personal attendant is that you've sent me off on an important mission. Technically, it's not far from the truth...sort of. Okay, it's a lie, but do it anyway.

I know it's a long journey, but I'll be fine. I've survived several winters outside on my own, and I didn't have the advantage of your magic then. It might take me a few weeks, but I promise you that I will return.

Love,

Anna

For five seconds, the Queen simply stared at the parchment. Something must be wrong with her eyesight. The words in front of her were not what she thought they were. Anna could not have left the Castle. But no matter how many times Elsa's tearing up eyes re-read the letter, none of the writing changed.

The monarch slammed her hands angrily onto the table, knowing the temperature in the room was rapidly dropping but refusing to care.

"She left!" Elsa hissed. "She fucking left! After I explicitly told her not to! What in the hell was she thinking?! I can't believe-" she broke off, pounding the table with her fists once again. Gerda simply stared at her, shock apparent in her eyes. And Rapunzel...

Rapunzel didn't look surprised in the slightest.

Furiously, Elsa rounded upon her cousin. "You knew," she breathed, the dots connecting rapidly in her head. "She told you she was going to leave and you fucking let her?!" the Queen demanded.

Instead of backing down as the monarch had expected, Rapunzel's only response was a small nod.

Forget her powers. Elsa wanted to wrangle the Princess's neck with her bare hands. With impossible effort, the Queen restrained herself from throttling her cousin.

"Anna's right," her cousin retorted. "Someone had to look into it, and she was the only one who could. She didn't tell me, but I figured it out and confronted her. Yes, I let her go. Don't worry; I gave her my best horse and enough money to buy a ticket to Valhalla. She'll be back in a few days."

Elsa stood up in rage, her chair skidding back across the floor.

"You're idiots. The both of you! All it takes is an obscure piece of writing from my father to make you think that traipsing across the country in the dead of winter is a good idea?!"

"She could find something that could save your life!" Rapunzel protested.

The Queen fixed her with an icy glare.

"Did either of you even consider the fact that Anna would be more valuable to me here? I was just attacked. I think the odds of someone striking at me again within the next week are far greater than Anna successfully scouring the North Mountain, finding a hidden band of magical trolls who might not be friendly and probably don't even exist, and learning something useful about who is after me. But instead of the most capable warrior in the kingdom being at my side and guarding me, she's riding through the snow on a magical goose chase. Genius, Rapunzel. Fucking genius."

The Princess continued to return her stare, but Elsa could see the uncertainty in her eyes now. Slowly, Rapunzel was catching on to her mistake. It was true that Elsa probably wouldn't have sent Anna even if it was a smart move...the redhead meant too much to her. But even casting her feelings for Anna aside, letting her go was not the decision Elsa would have made, based on practical concerns alone.

"It doesn't matter now," her cousin asserted. "Anna left hours ago...you can't stop her. Do you think she would have stayed if I told her to? All I did was make sure she had a way to get there and wouldn't have to worry about food or shelter," she said defensively.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "You could have told me. I could have stopped her," she hissed.

"And then what? Would you have locked her up in her room for the rest of her life? Because I can tell you, that is not fun experience," Rapunzel shot back.

Snow began to fall from the ceiling.

"Are you fucking comparing me to Gothel?!" Elsa demanded. "I don't want to keep Anna prisoner, she's free to leave the Castle anytime she pleases. All I wanted her not to do was ride across the country into uncivilized territory in the middle of-!"

A firm but comforting hand fell upon her shoulder. Elsa turned to see Gerda standing behind her, a concerned but steadfast look on the head servant's face. She said nothing, but the message was clear.

'You're right. The two of them made a big mistake. But yelling at your cousin isn't going to change anything. They meant well.' She could almost hear Gerda saying the words.

Elsa sighed, trying to regain her usual composure.

"I swear to the gods, Rapunzel. If she's hurt, I'm going to send Corona into an ice age."

"Do what you want to me," the Princess replied. "But go easy on Anna. She only wants what's best for you."

Elsa glared at her cousin. "That's a shame. Because the minute she gets back, I'm turning her into an ice sculpture. I think she'll look nice in the garden."

\

Anna sat alone at a table in the Inn's dining room, mulling over her next move as she ate her breakfast.

The incident last night only strengthened her resolve to continue on. The attack had proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that whoever wanted to take Elsa's life was still out there. Why she herself had been targeted, Anna didn't know, but she was dead certain that the incidents were connected.

She sighed deeply, thinking of Shadow.

Now that she didn't have a horse, the journey was going to take a lot longer. True, she had been prepared to make the trip on foot, but the prospect of hiking across Arendelle was not an appealing one.

Of course...now that she had money, perhaps she could simply purchase transportation.

Anna made her way into the lobby. The room was empty save for Oaken, manning his counter as always, and a blond man in heavy winter clothing looking through the store's supplies.

"Yoo-hoo! Enjoy your breakfast, Miss Anna?"

The redhead nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It was great! Uh, I was wondering...is there anywhere in town that I could buy a horse? Or maybe a carriage service or something...I just need transportation."

Oaken smiled. "Going somewhere in a hurry, Miss Anna? Where to?"

"The North Mountain."

"Oh dear...that's far away. What do you need in the North Mountain this time of year?" Oaken asked curiously.

Anna considered how much to tell him. Announcing she was looking for trolls might make her look ridiculous, but there was always a chance that Oaken had helpful information. As an innkeeper, he had probably heard all sorts of rumors over the years.

"I'm looking for a band of...uh...rock trolls? I've heard a rumor that they have magic, and..."

There was a loud clang and a thump behind her. Anna turned to see the blond man staring at her intensely. A heavy metal pickaxe sat at his feet, along with a large sack of carrots.

"You break it you buy it, ya?" Oaken scowled. As Anna stared, the blond man grumpily picked up his items and sauntered over to the counter, placing a handful of coins on the table with visual frustration.

"Do you...uh...know these trolls? Or know of them, I mean?" Anna asked him uncertainly.

The man frowned at her. For some reason, he looked familiar to her. Where have I seen him before?

"Don't be ridiculous. Trolls don't exist," he scoffed at her. Before she could respond, he turned his back to her and walked outside. Anna's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Looking for a horse, ya?" Oaken pulled her out of her thoughts.

Anna swiveled around back to the innkeeper. "Uh...maybe. I'll be right back."

\

"Wait!" Anna called after him, sprinting through the snow.

With a heavy sigh, the blond man turned around. "Can I help you?" he questioned impatiently.

Anna nodded. "These rock trolls...you know something about them, don't you? And if you could tell me, that would be great...'cause I really really need to find them. I've heard they live around the North Mountain, but..."

He crossed his arms, eyeing her suspiciously. "What makes you think I know anything about these...rock trolls?"

The redhead scowled. "Deny it all you want, but I noticed how you reacted when I mentioned them to Oaken. You were pretty startled..."

"Maybe I was just shocked that a grown woman still believes in fairy tales," he interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything that can help you." He turned away and began to walk down the street.

Anna darted forward, grabbing his shoulder with her right arm and spinning him around.

"What?" he demanded irritably.

"We all know magic exists," she said firmly. "Everyone in the kingdom knows about E-Queen Elsa's powers. Is a woman can be capable of making ice shoot from her hands rules the kingdom, these trolls could exist as well, and I think you know that. What aren't you telling me?"

She wasn't buying his denial. Whoever this guy was, he seemed far too eager to break off the conversation. Coupled with the way he'd acted in Oaken's, and Anna was almost certain that he had something to hide.

"Please," she begged after he refused to budge. "It's a matter of life and death! I know you can help me!"

For the first time, his gaze seemed to soften, although he raised his eyebrows skeptically at her words.

Maybe she was wrong. Maybe this man actually didn't know anything about those trolls and just assumed she was a crazy young girl, and Anna was so desperate for information that she was reading way too deeply into his earlier reactions...

"I know them," he admitted with a sigh.

Yes!

"Then take me to them!" she squealed happily. "I can pay you!"

The man stepped back, raising his arms as if to ward off her enthusiasm.

"Hold up a second. As long as the rock trolls have lived in Arendelle, there've been a million opportunists trying to exploit them. Some wanted to turn lead into gold. Others wanted a love potion to ensnare a beauty who won't give them the time of day. And even more have just wanted power. Why do you think they keep themselves hidden in the first place?"

Anna stared at him blankly.

"Look. They're happy to help those who actually need it. If your life actually depends on it, I'll take you to them. But I'm not going to lift a finger to help you if you just want an easy way to get ahead in life. Pabbie is sick of people trying to take advantage of their powers, and I don't blame him. So...what's your emergency?"

For a second, Anna was about to tell him everything, but then she stopped herself. Elsa had taken Anna into her confidence, but the Queen had made it clear that the redhead was to keep the details of the kingdom's running a secret. Telling a man she hardly knew about the investigation into the attempted assassinations probably wasn't something Elsa would have approved of.

"Uh..." Time to lie.

"Okay, maybe it's not a matter of life or death," she admitted. A flash of anger appeared on the man's face before she hurriedly amended, "But it might be!" Think Anna think. "I...uh...I'm a maid who works in Castle Arendelle. Lately I've been developing magical abilities...at least I think they're magical. I don't know why, but I'm getting stronger and faster every day. So far, it's been a good thing I guess, but who knows how this is going to end. I was hoping the trolls would have some advice, and maybe a cure if I need it."

The man's eyes narrowed. "I've never heard of anything like that before. You expect me to believe that a Castle maid is suddenly developing superhuman strength for seemingly no reason?"

Anna shrugged. "I can prove it," she offered. "Want to arm wrestle?"

"Fine," he smirked. "At the Winter Festival, I won the weightlifting tournament. If you can beat me, I'll take you to the trolls."

That's where I recognize him from!

The redhead nodded. "What's your name by the way?" she questioned.

"Kristoff."

Anna frowned. "Christopher?" she repeated uncertainly.

"Kristoff," he clarified, irritation leaking back into his voice. "…What's yours?"

"Anna."

\

Ten minutes later, they were walking towards a barn on the edge of town.

"Damn, you're strong," Kristoff admitted, nursing his bruised knuckles.

Anna smirked, but she couldn't help the guilt that was beginning to fester inside her. True, she was lying to Kristoff for a good cause, but Anna still felt bad about deceiving someone who was going out of his way to help her.

They arrived at the barn, and Kristoff threw open the doors. The building was empty save for a few stacks of hay, a large sleigh...and a large brown and gray reindeer snoozing contently next to the wall.

"Wake up, Sven!" Kristoff called. Instantly, the reindeer was alert, rising to his feet. As Anna watched, Kristoff pulled some reins from the sleigh and began to attach its reins to the reindeer.

"Sven?" Anna questioned.

Her companion nodded. "My best friend in the world. My only friend, really. Now come on. It's a two days ride to the North Mountain." Finishing his work, he climbed into the sleigh and grabbed the reins. Grinning, Anna sat beside him.

"Then let's go!" she said.

\

The bitch could not be allowed to interfere. Not again.

The two of them left the city and walked into the woods. Their target was almost certainly far away by this point, but that was no matter. What was important was that she was alone, in the wilderness, and vulnerable.

Their abilities would take care of the rest.

As they heard the distinctive sounds of howling, both of them knew that their task would soon be complete. In an hour, they would be long out of the woods...and Anna's death would be an inevitability.

It was time to work some magic.


	24. Chapter 24

"Wow, you go fast!" Anna shouted over the wind. They'd been riding for a few hours now, judging by the position of the sun, but Sven didn't seem to be tiring in the slightest.

"Yeah," Kristoff agreed. "We've been hauling ice for a decade now. Both of us have gotten pretty strong over the years," he explained.

"How long do you think until we reach the mountain?" she questioned casually. Every day she was gone was a day Elsa was without her protection.

"Tomorrow night, if we're lucky," he answered.

"El-I've heard that the journey to the mountain is dangerous this time of year," Anna noted. "Is that true?"

Kristoff nodded. "Wolves can be a problem...and we've had to deal with bandits once or twice during the winter," he answered. "Why? You afraid?" he teased.

Anna scowled. "Of course not! I'm the second-deadliest woman in Arendelle! It'll take more than a few wolves and brigands to take me down," she said proudly.

He looked at curiously. "So tell me. What's your story? You're a maid in the Castle...but you know how to fight? How did that happen?" The question briefly made Anna tense, but his tone was curious rather than accusatory.

"Nothing much to tell. I never knew my parents. When I was a child, the Castle took me in...I've been a maid ever since. I...some soldier friends...friends of mine who are soldiers...taught me how to use a sword. I was always pretty good, but after this magic started kicking in, eventually none of them could beat me," she lied. "What about you?"

"Pretty similar to yours, sort of. My parents, died when I was two, but I know who they were. Ror and Silvia Bjorgman. It wasn't long after that I apprenticed myself to a group of ice harvesters. When I was five, I fell behind and was found by the trolls. They sort of adopted me. Been with them ever since."

Anna nodded. "Listen...I really appreciate this. Going out of your way and all to help me."

Kristoff shrugged. "The trolls don't like being taken advantage of for petty reasons, but Pabbie would want to speak with you. He'll be curious about your magic, and if he can, he'll want to help you. They took Sven and I in when we had nothing...seems right to return the favor."

The redhead suppressed a sigh. Here was this slightly grumpy mountain man, taking her on a trip across the country for noble reasons...and all she was doing was lying to his face.

"What kind of magic can they do?" she asked him, trying to change the subject.

"Some of them can't do any. The leader, Grand Pabbie, is the one with the most skill. But what he can do...it's not really combat-related. Nothing like they say the Queen is capable of. Locator spells. Healing. Creating potions that can erase memories. Stuff like that. You'd be surprised how useful some of it can be. Sometimes, Pabbie can even catch glimpses of the past and future."

"The Queen can heal," Anna blurted out.

Kristen looked at her skeptically. "For a maid, you seem to know a lot about the Ice Queen," he pointed out.

Anna's face turned bright red. "Well...I've seen her around the Castle more than once. And when you've lived under the same roof as her as long as I have, you hear a few things," she said. "Her magic can heal almost anything...though not as much as Princess Rapunzel's."

"Princess Rapunzel? Of Corona?" he questioned. "What can she do?"

"She...I mean...it's rumored her tears can heal literally any wound. No matter how serious, as long as the victim is still alive. That's what I've heard, anyway," she covered. Best not to let him know just how close to royalty she actually was. The last Anna wanted was to ruin this stroke of good luck by making him doubt her story. If he thought she was lying, he might never take her where she needed to go.

\

Elsa stared down at her desk, trying to focus on the paperwork in front of her.

Outside, the sun was setting. It had been three hours since her cousin had finally departed. Despite the Princess's arguments, Elsa had refused to forgive her immediately. The Queen disliked parting on bad terms, but her anger was not so easily overcome. Rapunzel's misjudgment had placed Anna into unnecessary danger, and it was a struggle for Elsa to resist turning her cousin into an ice statue.

Maybe she and Anna could decorate the garden together. It would be lovely.

Elsa sighed. As furious as she was with Anna, the main emotion she was feeling right now was worry. The redhead was supposed to be here, in the Castle, where the Queen could keep her safe. Not traipsing through the wilderness in the middle of winter!

A knock on her door.

"Enter!" she called. Time for another meeting with Evangeline.

The spymaster opened the door and walked into the room. To the untrained eye, she seemed perfectly normal, but Elsa could see through the facade. Evangeline was weary. Drained even. Recent events had taken their toll on her.

"Your Majesty," the spymaster bowed, then sat down in a chair opposite the Queen.

"Good morning, Evangeline. Has there been any progress?"

The older woman shook her head, frustration clear on her features. "None. We've found nothing on the men's' bodies. Our searches for knowledge of magic and rituals are continuing, but so far we've had no luck. I...I apologize. We're failing you."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. Doubt wasn't something the Queen was accustomed to seeing on Evangeline.

"Are you alright?" the monarch questioned. "Ever since Vlora's death, you haven't been yourself. If you require a short leave of absence..."

"No!" Evangeline immediately protested, the sudden raising of her voice causing Elsa to jump back in surprise. "Forgive me, Your Majesty. I know I haven't been effective recently. But I refuse to rest while her killers are still out there. I am going to find them, no matter how long it takes," she promised. Her voice was overflowing with determination.

The Queen nodded. "I understand. I'm not doubting your skills. You saved my parents many times. I was simply concerned...were you and Vlora close?" The personal question slipped out before Elsa could stop it. She didn't want to pry into Evangeline's life, and now as a servant of the kingdom, the spymaster was obligated to answer.

Evangeline's eyes betrayed the older woman's pain.

"We...yes, Your Majesty."

The Queen's eyes widened. "Were you...?"

"Lovers?" the older woman prompted. "...Yes. It wasn't the most...traditional relationship. I met her when I was twenty-one and started working in the Palace. She was thirty-three at the time. It...we...started to grow close. When your parents selected me at as their spymaster despite my young age and brought me onto the Council, she mentored me. After that..."

Elsa nodded in understanding, concealing her surprise. The knowledge that her spymaster had been involved with the representative of one of Arendelle's most prominent noble houses was borderline shocking...but the Queen really wasn't in a position to judge.

Still, the story made sense, in a way. Both Evangeline and Vlora (in her younger years, at least) were certainly attractive women. Evangeline had been born into an upper-middle class family, and had worked as an intelligence agent before being selected for her skill to be the kingdom's spymaster by Elsa's parents. But she would have been out of her depth on the Royal Council, and Vlora, a woman born into nobility, would have been a perfect candidate to help her along. If they were both attracted to women (which would have limited their romance options) than Elsa could see how they ended up together despite the age difference.

Anna is five years my junior.

"Gods, Evangeline. I'm...I'm so sorry," Elsa said, dropping her regal tone for a moment. "Why didn't the two of you ever tell anyone?"

The spymaster sighed. "Her family would never have approved. I didn't want to risk her being disowned. We talked about getting married one day and telling everyone, but...we waited too long."

The Queen frowned. Vlora was one of the members of the Liddell family, a noble house that had existed in Arendelle for centuries. She had been delegated to act as its representative on the Royal Council, but her parents were still the heads of the family. If there was one thing the House of Liddell was known for, it was their strict adherence to tradition. Evangeline was right, the knowledge of Vlora's choice in partner could well have enraged the Councilor's parents.

"I can promise you one thing, Your Majesty. I will hunt those responsible to the ends of the earth. Both out of my duty...and for her," the spymaster promised.

Elsa nodded. "I expect nothing less," she replied, slipping the royal mask back on.

"A word of advice, Your Majesty?" Evangeline offered.

The Queen's eyebrows raised, but she dipped her head in consent.

The older woman sighed. "Don't make the same mistake with Anna."

In a rare moment, the monarch was speechless. For five seconds, she simply stared at Evangeline, at an utter loss for words. The spymaster gazed back at her, the expression on her face neutral.

"I..what are you talking about?" Elsa finally managed.

Was it the Queen's imagination, or did Evangeline just roll her eyes? "With due respect, Your Majesty, it's my job to know things. All it really took was observing how the two of you looked at each other for a few days to put the pieces together. I understand your reasoning for wanting to keep the affair a secret for a moment, but I would suggest not planning on keeping your relationship hidden forever."

Elsa's hands gripped the sides of her chair in frustration, but the Queen didn't have the heart to reprimand the spymaster after she had just suffered a personal tragedy.

"Thank you, Evangeline, but that decision is mine to make. You are welcome to your suspicions, but I expect you to keep them to yourself for the moment," the monarch commanded, neither confirming nor denying the relationship.

The spymaster nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. Although...if I may ask, where is Miss Anna at the moment? Should she not be guarding you?"

The Queen's grip on the armrests tightened. "Anna is..." she hesitated only for the briefest moment. Not only was Anna disobeying her, but the redhead had placed the Queen into a position in which Elsa had no choice but to propagate her lie.

"I sent her on an important mission..."

\

They set up camp an hour after sunset. By this point, traveling to a town would have taken them hours out of their way, and Kristoff had more than enough supplies to make the night outside semi-bearable.

It was cold, to be sure. But Anna had been through far worse. The three of them had a roaring fire, heavy sleeping bags, and more than enough food to last through the trip.

After making sure the fire was going strong and eating a warm meal, Anna and Kristoff readied themselves for sleep. The redhead was given a firm pillow and several large blankets to go over her sleeping bag. Choosing to situate herself a few meters away from the fire, Anna watched as Kristoff moved his sleeping bag over to Sven's side and rested his head on the reindeer's flank.

"Aww..." Anna cooed. "No wonder you smell like reindeer."

Kristen merely shrugged, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a plump orange carrot. With two seconds, Sven had leaned over and happily devoured it.

"Sometimes I feel like half of my salary goes into his carrots," the ice harvester mused. "Not that I mind, of course," he added.

"Well, he does do half the work," Anna pointed out.

"True."

Anna made to lay down and sleep, but then a thought occurred to her. "Should we set up a watch for tonight?" the redhead questioned. "You said there might be wolves or bandits around, and if they found us sleeping..."

"It's fine," Kristoff interrupted. "Sven could hear them coming from a mile away. He's saved my life more than once in the past, haven't you buddy?" he patted the reindeer affectionally.

Anna sighed in relief. She was someone who liked her sleep.

"So what's it like?" he asked. "Working in the Ice Queen's Palace? You ever wake up to find it snowing in your room?"

"No. Why?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Just wondering how much of what they say is true."

"What they say?" Anna questioned.

"About our monarch being cursed and all. Especially after the storm she caused, there's been a lot of-"

"Elsa is not cursed!" Anna shouted. How dare he...how dare anyone accuse the Queen of such a thing! Elsa was such a benevolent monarch...they didn't know how lucky they were.

"Elsa?" Kristoff questioned. Shit.

"Queen Elsa, I mean. Anyway...how can you say that about her? You were raised by magical trolls, for the sake of the gods! Having powers doesn't mean you're cursed!"

"The trolls never buried half the country in ice," the ice harvester retorted. "I don't know where you were during that storm, but I was outside on the roads. Another ten minutes of that and Sven and I would have been crushed to death by snow!"

Anna took a deep breath, trying to rein in her anger.

"I'm not saying she's evil or anything," he added, his voice defensive now. "I know she probably didn't cause that storm of her own free will..."

"She was attacked!" Anna interjected.

Her companion nodded. "I know. All I'm saying is that she's been saddled with powers she might not have full control over. Maybe it's not a curse, but they still make her dangerous. Very dangerous."

Anna glared at him. "She has complete control over them. Okay...the storm was an exception...a big exception, but that's the only time I ever remember her powers going haywire. Otherwise, the only people the Queen's ever hurt have been trying to kill her."

Kristoff's eyes narrowed. "You sound like you know her," he pointed out.

"I don't," Anna lied reluctantly. "But I've still lived in the same building as her for over ten years. I think I'd have heard if her powers had ever mutilated someone."

"Fine," Kristoff sighed, clearly not in the mood to argue.

"So...what was it like growing up with the trolls?" Anna asked, trying to change the subject.

"Fine. A little weird sometimes. They're not exactly normal...but then again, neither are we," he smiled slightly, laying back against Sven. "We always had enough to eat, and I never had to live in an orphanage, so you could say we were really lucky."

Anna frowned. "Yeah...I mean, me too!" she covered quickly, not showing how his words had affected her. Not that it was his fault, of course...according to the lies told him, Anna had been fortunate as well, living in the Castle since her parents had died.

"Sometimes I think of how it would have been different," he mused. "What would have happened if they'd never taken us in. I'd probably have spent my childhood in an orphanage...and never seen Sven again. Doubt I would have been adopted."

"Yeah," Anna agreed. "That would have sucked."

\

They rode in comfortable silence for most of the next day. The longer they traveled, the more both Anna's excitement and her fear grew. She couldn't wait to meet the trolls and learn everything she could, but at the same time, the redhead knew she might be met with nothing but disappointment.

What if they don't know anything? What if they don't want to help me? What if Kristoff doesn't actually know them and is simply pulling a prank on me?

Okay, that last one was ridiculous. Going on a journey for several days just to pull one over on someone he'd never met didn't seem like Kristoff's style. But the first two points were definitely valid.

"Almost there," Kristoff told her. "Another few hours, at the most. Just gotta pass through the Clashing Hills, and the mountain will be in sight."

"The Clashing Hills?" Anna asked.

He simply smirked. "You'll see."

And a half hour later, she did. The forest around them gradually faded away, the trees becoming more and more scarce. Ahead of them was a snow-covered mountain range.

Although 'mountain' might have been stretching it. The mounds in front of them had clearly been eroded over the years, though they were still taller than what she would consider a hill. But what struck her the most about them was the way they were formed. On either side of the path, the mountains appeared to be stretching towards one another, as if they were in opposition. A jagged edge formed the top of each mound, and each was unfailingly pointed at the other side of the range.

"I see why they call them 'clashing'," Anna remarked. "How did they..."

Kristoff shrugged. "How did they form like this? Probably just a coincidence, unless you believe the legends, of course."

"Legends?"

He nodded. "You know how some traditions say that a war between the gods will occur in the future, ending the world?"

"Yeah," she agreed, not sure where he was going with this. Anna had never been one for religion (there were just so many, it was hard to choose. Plus, religion hadn't exactly been kind to her in the past...) but she knew the basics of some of them.

"Well, there's a few...you probably wouldn't have heard of them, they're mostly based outside of Arendelle, and they're not very big. But some believe that the war already happened, though it didn't end the world. Some believe that these hills are the product of one such battle...a skirmish between two deities who could control the earth itself."

She looked at him curiously, but Anna didn't doubt his words. She'd traveled through much of the country, but Anna had rarely been beyond Arendelle's borders. The ice-harvester, on the other hand, had probably visited half a dozen nations while doing his job.

"Who won?" Anna questioned.

Kristoff chuckled. "It's only a legend. Those who believe in it argue over the details, of course. They can't even agree on why the war started in the first place. Some say it was a power struggle between the King of the Gods and his son. Others believe it was a rebellion in response to the King's chosen consort...a human girl he decided to raise from the underworld. Most seem to think it was an argument over what to do about the spread of humanity."

"How'd it end?" Anna asked.

"Woah...why all the questions?"

"I guess I'm just a curious person," she said impatiently. "So how'd it end?"

The ice-harvester sighed. "Again, they don't agree. One sect says that there was a truce. Some others claim that the gods chose to banish themselves from the world. A couple even argue that the gods completely destroyed themselves, vanishing into the dust."

"How would...wow!" Anna breathed. Ahead of them was a massive formation of snow and rock, dwarfing the hills that they were riding through. It seemed to reach into the sky itself, parting the clouds around it.

The North Mountain.

\

The trolls, according to Kristoff, had a camp at the foothills of the mountain, about a thousand feet above ground level. Sven continued to ride on, moving carefully up the inclined surface.

"I hope they can help you," the ice-harvester said. "If anyone will know anything about your condition, it'll be Grand Pabbie."

Anna sighed. As they'd ridden, the redhead had come to a realization. She would have to tell the trolls the truth about why she was there, and that meant that Kristoff would learn as well. It would be best to let him know now. Anna already felt guilty about deceiving him; she didn't want to make it worse.

"Wait Kristoff...before we get there, I have to tell you something."

Her companion looked at her suspiciously, but he lightly jerked the reins. Sven slowed to a halt.

"I..." Anna bit her lip. "I haven't exactly been telling you the truth. The reason I want to see the trolls...it's not because I'm curious about my magic. The truth is..."

"Fuck," the ice-harvester cursed. His eyes were wide with anger as he turned to the front of the sleigh. "Sven, turn us around!"

"Kristoff let me explain!"

He rounded on her. "I should have known you were lying. Why I agreed to help you, I'll never know. I am so sick of people trying to take advantage of them..." he paused for a brief moment. "I'll take you back to civilization...I won't leave you to freeze out here, even though I want to. But I will never take you to them."

"It's for the Queen!"

Kristoff stared at her dumbly for several seconds. "Excuse me?" he finally demanded.

"I'm not a maid in the Castle, I'm the Queen's personal attendant...basically meaning I'm her guard. I was living on the streets until I saved Elsa from an attack...she took me in and I've been living at the Castle for over a month now. During the assassination attempt last week...I was there...for most of it, anyway. I got shot with an arrow, but Princess Rapunzel healed me...anyway, that's not the important part. The last assassin mentioned something to Elsa about a ritual before he killed himself. That made us think the attack had something to do with magic, but we don't know what...and Elsa's father had written about the trolls...so I decided to find them..." she rambled.

The ice-harvester looked at her skeptically.

"It's true, I swear! The reason I have these powers is because Elsa's been dosing me with her healing magic for the last month. It's been giving me these abilities, but we don't understand why. I guess that's something else I could ask the trolls..."

"And you kept this a secret because...?"

Anna sighed. "I'm not supposed to talk about our investigation into the assassination attempts. Elsa doesn't want people knowing how much we're in the dark. I'm sorry..."

As she talked, Sven continued on ahead, in the same direction they had been traveling before.

"Sven, I didn't say go toward the trolls!" Kristoff hissed. The reindeer ignored him, continuing forward.

Anna crossed her arms triumphantly. "At least someone believes me," she grinned.

Kristoff was silent for a few moments, probably processing her story.

"It sounds crazy, but some of it also makes sense I guess," Kristoff admitted. "How you just happened to get these powers. Why you were so defensive of the Queen last night..." he sighed. "If you're telling the truth now, I can understand why you lied...look, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Thanks," Anna smiled.

"Only because Sven trusts you," the ice-harvester huffed.

\

They rode on for another ten minutes. The sun had set, plunging the mountainside into darkness. A light snowfall had begun a few minutes ago.

Kristoff said they were almost there, but Anna couldn't see any sign of...

The air in front of Sven seemed to ripple, and the next moment he was out of sight. Anna didn't even have time to gasp before the world briefly went black. It felt like they were passing through a cold wind.

Then the world changed. Where before they had been riding through the snowy mountainside, now...

Anna's jaw dropped.

The ground below them was now composed of the greenest grass the redhead had ever seen. A circular field of green was arrayed before them; it was around a hundred meters in diameter and decorated by dozens of oddly shaped purple rocks. The area was further complemented by a massive assortment of tents and living supplies, none of which was currently being used.

Immediately behind them, the mountainside still remained...as snowy as ever. Fully processing the change in scenery, Anna realized that the grassy field they were in was a bubble in the middle of the snowy foothills. A patch of spring, surrounded on all sides by the dead of winter.

"A barrier..." Anna breathed in awe.

Kristoff smirked. "More like a cloaking spell. It doesn't keep anyone out, but unless someone stumbles upon their camp, it hides the trolls pretty well. Pabbie's magic keeps it up...and keeps it warm and grassy in here."

"Amazing..." she looked around, taking it all in. Magic really was incredible.

"Where are the trolls?" she finally asked. Except for her, Kristoff, and Sven, the camp was deserted. As if in answer, the ice-harvester pointed to the purple rocks.

"What...?"

"They usually sleep through the entire night," Kristoff explained. "But Grand Pabbie doesn't mind waking up when it's important."

At the sound of the name, one of the rocks began to roll towards them. Anna watched in disbelief as the stone seemed to hop off the ground, changing into...

She was staring at a purple creature that took roughly two feet tall on a pair of stubby legs. A worn greenish cloak adorned it, plain except for a pair of sleeves that allowed the creature's small arms to poke through and a smattering of glowing yellow crystals. The face...Anna could only describe it as troll like. His posture seemed to imply age...but also wisdom and experience. Dark blond hair was matched by the color of the troll's eyes, which were now appraising her.

"Kristoff," the troll spoke in a deep yet kind voice. "Always good to see you. I see you've brought me a guest," he intoned.

The ice-harvester frowned. "This is Anna," he indicated her. "She says she's here on behalf of Queen Elsa, but her story is...doubtful. I'll let her describe it."

Anna bowed. "It's an honor, Your Grace. I'm Queen Elsa's personal attendant. In the past month, there have been two separate attacks on the monarch, and something one of the assassins said makes us think it may have something to do with magic. We weren't even sure you existed...all we had were writings in the journal of Elsa's father...but we don't have anywhere else to turn to."

"Pabbie is fine, child." He said, considering her words. After a moment, he appeared to come to a decision.

"I believe you speak the truth. Your story would explain why the monarch on Arendelle has not contacted us for several years. And I can see it in your eyes...you care deeply for your Queen, do you not?"

Anna blushed. "I do," she agreed, making Kristoff send her a curious glance.

"The trolls are a secluded people, but we have always been happy to offer assistance to Arendelle's monarch. For generations, the Royal Family has known of our presence here and kept the knowledge of our existence a secret, and they have ruled their country wisely for the most part. We have heard about the King and Queen's tragic end, and now I can only assume that they did not tell their daughter of us before they passed."

"Did you know them?" Anna asked.

The elder troll nodded. "They came to me for assistance several times. In particular, the King was eager for knowledge about Princess Elsa's magic, but I'm afraid that in that matter, we could not help him. Her powers are as much a mystery to us as they are to the rest of the kingdom."

The redhead sighed. "Then I'm guessing you don't know anything about my magic, either."

Pabbie raised his eyebrows. "Your magic?" he questioned curiously.

Anna nodded. She crouched down on her knees, tightening her muscles, then leapt into the air as high as she could. The redhead's strength propelled her nearly ten feet off the ground.

She landed on the grass smoothly, barely feeling the impact in her legs.

"Definitely still getting stronger," she murmured as Kristoff stared at her, open-mouthed.

"For over a month, the Queen's been using her healing magic on me daily," she explained to the surprised troll. "It's made me stronger, faster, and tougher. Elsa fears it's a curse of some kind...though nothing bad has happened yet. Would you have any idea how..."

Pabbie slowly shook his head. "This is remarkable, but...I have never seen magic such as yours. And I have never known for the abilities of one person to awaken powers in another. And the Queen does not possess this strength and speed, correct?"

Anna nodded.

"Stranger still. I do not know how this is possible, and I truly wish that I did. And you never had any magic of your own before you met the Queen?"

She shook her head.

"I may, however, be able to confirm that it is not a curse," he mentioned. "Tell me...is there anyone in your life that you truly love?"

Anna stared at him blankly. "What?" she asked dumbly.

Pabbie offered her a small smile. "Curses are something that I am familiar with. They are a dark subject, to be sure, but there is a known cure. A method that can erase even the strongest of curses."

"Oh!" Anna breathed in sudden realization. "True love's kiss? I've read about that in fairy tales...but I never imagined it would actually be true."

Pabbie nodded. "That expression of mutual love between two individuals, whether it be familial, platonic, or romantic, can dispel the effects of any curse."

"Right...well, I have a girlfriend," Anna admitted. "We've said we love each other...and we've both saved the other's life. And we've kissed plenty of times..."

"If that is indeed the case," the troll interrupted, "Then you may be confident that your abilities are not a curse."

Kristoff's eyes had grown wider with every sentence spoken, but now he finally spoke up. "It's Elsa, isn't it?" he questioned, the shock in his voice apparent. "Your girlfriend...the Queen is your girlfriend."

Anna's face turned as bright as a tomato. "What makes you think...?" she began hopelessly, knowing that denying it was a lost cause.

"Anyway," she deflected the question. "The reason I came here was that the assassin that Elsa briefly interrogated said...what was it...'control...you...can't...ritual' right before he died. Do you have any idea what that means?"

Her heart fell as Pabbie shook his head.

"No," he said slowly. "There are many out there who fear those with magic and believe that they should be eliminated. But a ritual that would have something to do with the Queen's abilities...I have no knowledge of anything of the sort." He sighed. "The Queen's magic is unlike any I have ever seen. There are a few others I have heard about in far off places with the ability to manipulate ice, but none on the scale that she is able to. That does not mean that there is no such ritual. The Queen's magic is the strongest in recorded history, after all. Perhaps there is a spell that requires so much power that only Elsa herself would be able to enact it. But what that would be...I do not know."

Anna sank to her knees. All of her efforts had come to naught; she had nothing of use to take back to her Queen.

Pabbie stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I am truly sorry that I cannot assist you. But you may return to Elsa with the knowledge that we do indeed exist, and that our services are at her disposal should she ever require them."

The redhead nodded. "Thank you," she said simply.

It was something, at least. But in essence, her mission was still a failure. Anna and learned nothing about the attempts on the Queen's life. Elsa and her advisors would remain as blind as ever, and those who sought to kill her would continue to run free.


	25. Chapter 25

They spent the night with the trolls, deciding to head back to civilization in the morning. Anna was provided with a simple spare wooden hut. It was small, but the fur blankets and pillows inside were surprisingly comfortable. In another situation, she would have been able to fall asleep easily.

But her thoughts kept her up for over an hour.

The trolls knew nothing that was of assistance to the Queen's safety. Anna had always known that it would be a long shot- in truth she was fortunate that they had even turned out to exist in the first place. But still, the redhead couldn't help but be incredibly disappointed.

Elsa meant the world to her. Anna had gladly taken an arrow for her once, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Even though the trolls had turned out to be a dead-end, Anna would continue to do everything in her power to protect the monarch.

A sudden stab of fear shot through the redhead. She'd already been gone for days. What if there had already been another attack? Anna herself had been the target of an assassination attempt, who was to say that the Queen hadn't been as well? And if she had, Elsa would not have had the benefit of Anna's protection.

Anna knew that, without her presence at Elsa's side during the Solstice, the Queen would likely have been killed. The personal attendant had rescued her twice; both hauling her out of a burning carriage and knocking her out of the arrow's path. True, Elsa would be more careful now...and she remained the most dangerous being on the planet, but every day Anna was not by her side was a day she was more vulnerable.

In the end, only sheer exhaustion forced the redhead into unconsciousness.

\

In the morning, Anna was introduced to dozens of other trolls. At first, it was overwhelming. Most of them weren't calm and composed, like Grand Pabbie. They were loud, friendly, and enthusiastic. Before their journey back, Anna and Kristoff were treated to a lovely early meal...that unfortunately was accompanied by a lot of questions and suggestions about their relationship.

"Are you guys together? You should be!"

"Look how cute he is, Anna! Kiss him already!"

"Tell her how you feel Kristoff!"

It was only after repeating to them over a dozen times that not only was she already in a relationship, but that Kristoff was also (by virtue of his gender) not her type that most of them finally got the message.

Still, although they could be annoying, Anna found herself growing accustomed to their personalities. Each of them was kind and helpful, and they never meant any harm with their prodding. It would doubtless have been taxing at times, but part of Anna wouldn't have minded being in Kristoff's shoes and growing up with them.

After thanking them for breakfast, Kristoff went to prepare Sven and the sleigh. Anna was about to join him, but Pabbie approached her and asked for a few words alone, and the two of them stepped off to the side.

"I am very sorry that I cannot help you," he admitted. "But based upon what you have told me, it is almost certain that magic plays some part in the assassin's motives. Tell the Queen that if she discovers anything more, or if she requires the use of our magic, we would be happy to assist."

Anna nodded. "Thank you," she said gratefully. While her mission could not be considered anything less than a failure, the redhead did not blame the trolls in the slightest. Sometimes, people just didn't have the answers.

"Kristoff mentioned you could see hints of the past and the future," she remembered. "Does that tell you anything about what's going to happen to us?"

Pabbie shook his head. "It is a very unreliable gift, and only rarely is it of any use. Usually, all I can see are the faintest images of what is to come. I have tried to look into Queen Elsa's future, but everything I could see was almost completely shrouded."

Anna sighed. "What about me?" she questioned.

The troll frowned. "I could see your past relatively clearly… I wish I could provide you solace about your future, but..." he appeared to hesitate.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously. Pabbie stared at her, appearing to come to a decision.

"...Your future appeared the same as the Queen's. I could not perceive anything. I apologize."

"But..."

"Anna!" Kristoff called. "Sven's ready! Let's go!"

Frowning, the redhead nonetheless nodded back at him. "One second!" She turned to Pabbie. "I'll convey your words to the Queen. If nothing else, she'll be glad to know that she can call on you...it's not something she would abuse, but...you know what I mean," she said.

The troll nodded.

\

They rode through the rest of the day. Riding down the mountain was easier than riding up in, and in no time at all they were riding through the Clashing Hills and back into the forest.

The redhead hadn't wasted much time before crossing her arms triumphantly and glancing at Kristoff. "Looks like I was right about Elsa," she boasted. "Pabbie said that true love's kiss would destroy any curse...and since she's kissed both me and presumably her parents...that means..."

"Alright, alright," Kristoff grumbled. "I didn't mean to offend your girlfriend."

Anna grinned.

"So...you and the Queen," Kristoff said finally, a small smirk on his face. "How did that come about?"

Anna blushed furiously. "Oh...you know. I saved her life...she gave me a home. We ended up spending a lot of time together, and before you knew it I fell for her. After I was about to leave the Castle once my sword training was complete, she confessed that she had feelings for me. The rest is history."

"You were going to leave the Castle? Why?" he asked, surprised.

The next several hours consisted of the pair of them trading stories. Anna told Kristoff all that had happened to her since the fateful day that she'd met Elsa. To his credit, the ice-harvester took her at her word, despite the often-surprising details of her tale. It appeared that Pabbie's confidence in her story had convinced Kristoff of her honesty, which Anna was grateful for. If there was anything she hated being accused of, it was being a liar.

Though I did lie to Elsa; I told her I wasn't going to do this. And now I have practically nothing to show for it. Gods...she's going to kill me!

The redhead sighed. She would face that battle when it came. There was no point in worrying about it now.

Kristoff, in return, told her several stories of his time as an ice-harvester. On the surface, it didn't seem like a terribly exciting job, but it only took a handful of stories to realize that it had the potential to be a very exciting profession.

"So we had finally made it to Albion," Kristoff was saying a few hours after they'd left the Clashing Hills behind. Anna nodded. Despite her somewhat lackluster knowledge of foreign kingdoms, she knew that Albion was a large country that bordered Corona...and as Kristoff had discovered, it wasn't very welcoming to foreigners.

"The border guard drew his sword, saying he was going to detain me. I got out of the sleigh...and Sven ran into him at full speed, knocking him right on his ass. He started running back the way we'd came, I hopped on, and he got out of there as fast as humanely possible."

Anna laughed. "Why'd you go there in the first place? she asked. "Hadn't you heard they were hostile to imports?"

Kristoff shrugged. "Oh, I knew. But Albion was desperate for ice that time of year. Its government isn't exactly known for its sound policies...the King is so desperate to protect domestic industries that they barely allow any trade into the country. Ice wasn't allowed in at all...because it's not viewed as a necessity. Anyway, we were trying to sneak in and make a killing...but it didn't work out."

"Have you ever...wow!" Anna breathed. A few hundred feet to their left was a wide river running parallel with their route. It was nothing out of the ordinary...except for the fact that it was frozen solid.

"Is that...?"

Kristoff nodded. "The Volta," he confirmed.

Anna stared at the once moving water. The Volta was the largest river in the country, running through the middle of Arendelle and down into the Southern Isles. In warmer months, it was a vital lifeline for trade. No one really used it in the winter, but Anna had never seen it completely frozen before.

"Uh...does it usually..."

The ice-harvester shook his head. "Freeze? No. It's been a really cold month, and the Queen's storm probably helped a bit. The water's usually too cold to use in the winter anyway, though, so it doesn't really matter."

\

As the sun set, the three travelers continued their journey alongside the Volta. As they rode along, the ground began to steadily slope upward, slowing their progress. It wasn't long before the river to their left had been replaced by a gorge nearly half a mile wide and hundreds of feet deep. The river, still running parallel to them, remained frozen solid. It was a stark contrast to when Anna had last seen it...the water had been rushing through the canyon, a canyon that the river itself had carved gradually over the course of untold millennia.

Darkness began to fall. They continued along the road, which was now finally angling them away from the gorge.

"I'm going to find us a place to camp," he said as Sven rode through the snow. "It'll be too dark to see soon."

Anna nodded. "Do you think we'll make it back by tomorrow...?"

She was interrupted by the loudest growl either of them had ever heard. It cut through the trees, deep and menacing, almost seeming to seek them out. Anna and Kristoff glanced at each other in mutual shock.

"What was..."

A loud howl echoed through the forest.

"Pick up the pace Sven!" Kristoff called. The reindeer immediately heeded the request, accelerating along the road. Then another growl. And another of both.

"Kristoff...what the hell is that!"

"I...I don't know," he admitted nervously. "It sounds like wolves, but I've never heard anything that loud before..."

Another chorus of vicious sounds appeared behind them, much closer than before.

"They're gaining on us!" Anna shouted.

"Shit!" Kristoff muttered. "That's impossible! There's no way a wolf could keep with Sven...even if he's tired."

A growl to their right disproved his theory. It was completely dark now, but Anna's eyes could still perceive a small shape swiftly moving through the trees, racing towards their sleigh as if its life depended on it.

"Go Sven!" the ice-harvester shouted. He moved the reins to the left, commanding the reindeer to veer off the road. Sven did as asked, racing through the pines, but a pack of shapes was now on their tail...and gaining ground rapidly.

Anna reflexively drew her sword, sliding it from its scabbard with a satisfying hiss. Still, she wished she had her knives at the moment. It had seemed like a wise decision not to go back for them at the time, but now...

She could see their pursuers clearly now. They were wolves all right, but something seemed...off about them. The pack was moving along the ground too easily, as if the route had been programmed into their minds. And was it just Anna's imagination, or were their eyes emitting a faint red glow?

There were at least a dozen of them, and they were all getting closer. The lead pursuer was now only a few seconds behind them, close enough for Anna to perceive its pitch black fur.

I thought wolves were usually white or brown?

Anna turned around in the sleigh, placing her knees on the bench and facing the wolves directly. She could worry about the strangeness of the situation later. Right now, the priority was survival. There was no doubt in the redhead's mind that the beasts wanted to eat them alive.

"Keep us from crashing!" the redhead shouted. "I'll fend them off!"

\

Kristoff had seen many bizarre sights in his twenty-one years of existence. But Anna standing up in their sleigh, hopping up over the bench into the back, and bracing her feet between their supplies in preparation to fend off a group of determined wolves might have topped them all.

She's got guts, I'll give her that.

Anna wobbled a bit but seemed to find a good perch, anchoring her lead foot beneath a heavy sleeping bag. She'd told him that she had experience with climbing...hopefully that would help her keep her balance.

He turned back to the front of the sleigh. At the speed they were going and with this little light, it would take all of Kristoff's skill to avoid crashing into a tree trunk. More than that, he had to avoid any serious bumps...or Anna would go flying.

A loud growl not three meters behind him caused him to jump in his seat. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see a wolf leap at Anna, a set of jagged teeth aimed for the redhead's neck.

Kristoff's fear turned to shock as Anna swung her sword with inhuman speed. The blade cut clean through the beast's midsection a second before its hangs could tear into her flesh. Its blood had barely hit the ground before another wolf tried to pounce on her. With a yell, Anna raised her foot off the ground and kicked it between the eyes, hitting the animal with so much force that it flew into the darkness and fell out of sight with a strangled cry.

For a terrifying moment, the redhead stumbled, but again Anna found her footing.

The ice-harvester turned back to the front of the sleigh...just in time to guide Sven to the left of a particularly wide trunk. He narrowed his eyes in focus. Anna would handle the wolves for the moment...she had to. His job was to make sure they didn't crash.

Ignoring the yells and growls behind them as best he could, Kristoff steered his best friend through the forest.

\

Anna leaned forward, switching her blade to her left hand and stabbing one daring wolf through the chest. A flash of movement to her right alerted her to the fact that another was trying to take advantage of the opening. His teeth were inches from her right leg before her free hand swung to the side. Anna's clenched right fist smashed into the animal's forehead, swatting it off to the side and likely crushing its skull.

A flare of pain erupted in her wrist. Anna did not dare to distract herself and inspect the wound, but already she could feel thin lines of blood flowing down her right arm. That damn wolf's teeth had found her skin after all.

Reaching down, the redhead grabbed an empty metal lamp from the jumble of their supplies and tossed it into the pack of wolves. It hit one of their pursuers directly on the forehead; the animal crumbled to the ground with a final pained whine.

She barely had time to recover her stance before another wolf was already leaping at her. Anna brought her sword into a wide arc, decapitating her target instantly. Breathing heavily, Anna took a brief moment to survey her remaining opponents.

Six wolves were down, but several remained. She was doing well so far, but the redhead knew that a single mistake on her part could mean death. These animals were incredibly fast; Anna knew that a normal human would have been long dead by this point. Elsa could have taken care of them in an instant with a massive blast of ice, but she wasn't Elsa. Anna's speed and reflexes had kept her ahead of them so far, but only just.

\

From the shouts of both woman and beast behind him, Kristoff could tell that Anna was holding her own for the moment. Trusting her to continue handling the situation, the ice-harvester put all of his focus on guiding Sven through the trees. Only over a decade of experience and sheer luck kept them from crashing head along into a trunk.

Finally, the number of trees around them seemed to start thinning. Kristoff allowed himself a glimmer of hope. If he could just keep them going a bit longer, and Anna continued to...

Holy. Fuck.

Five feet ahead of them, the number of trees rapidly died off, giving way to a flat snow-covered plain about twenty feet across. On the other side of the small expanse was the gorge...hundreds of feet deep and far too wide to jump.

Shit! The darkness had kept him from seeing the danger until it was too late, and in Kristoff's panic to stay alive he hadn't realized where they were headed. With all of his strength, Kristoff jerked the reins hard and to the left.

By the time he'd reacted, the sleigh had already cleared the trees.

\

Anna stabbed yet another wolf between the eyes, breathing heavily. Only three of the beasts remained. They continued to pursue the sleigh, staring at her with murder in their eyes. Despite how many of their fellows had been killed, none showed the slightest hint of hesitation.

She steadied herself, preparing for the next attack...

The sleigh suddenly jolted hard to the left! The wood beneath her feet wrenched so harshly that Anna lost her balance, stumbling over a sleeping bag and losing her perch on the sleigh. The world spun around her as she fell...for a moment, Anna was weightless.

The redhead hit the snow with enough force to cripple an ordinary human, her momentum sending her rolling several feet through the white powder. Her blade remained clenched in her hands; it was as if her fingers knew that the weapon was all that stood between her and the jaw of a wolf.

Anna's body moved automatically. The wind had been knocked out of her chest, but the fear of death gave her the energy to leap to her feet. Already, the three wolves were charging at her, seeming almost eager to finish the redhead off.

She raised her sword.

\

Sven slowed up as quickly as he could, but Kristoff knew it was too late. The reindeer continued to try and veer off from the gorge, but the distance between the sleigh and the edge was eroding far too quickly. Anna had already gone flying, but for the moment she was on her own.

In the mere seconds available to him, Kristoff's hands moved of their own accord. Without thinking, he reached into his belt and pulled forth his dagger. Keeping his free hand clenched in a death grip on a higher section of Sven's ropes, the ice-harvester sliced through the bottom of the reins, severing the reindeer's connection to the sleigh. Dropping the blade, Kristoff lunged forward and grasped the ropes with both hands.

Sven angled to the left so quickly that the sleigh was soon virtually sideways. But as the reindeer now ran almost parallel to the gorge, barely keeping himself from going over the edge, Kristoff felt the sled itself begin to topple over into the void.

Kristoff leaped out of the doomed sleigh a second before it fell into the gorge. Sven's reins still clutched between his fingers, the ice-harvester landed in the snow less than a meter away from the edge.

Then a heavy weight began to pull at his hands, dragging him towards the gorge! Kristoff looked up...and a flare of panic raced through him. Sven was beginning to teeter over the edge, the reindeer's previous momentum still pulling him forward just enough to start sending him over the cliff. Sven desperately buckled his legs, but he was already past the point of no return.

Kristoff gripped the reins and yanked them back as hard as he could, but even his strength couldn't match gravity's ever-growing pull on Sven. Refusing to release his grip, the ice-harvester was steadily pulled forward as his friend teetered farther and farther over the cliff.

NO! Adrenaline fueling him, Kristoff pulled back even harder. The world around him faded away, his focus entirely channeled on one single task. No matter how impossible, Kristoff was not going to let his friend go.

If Sven fell, then he would go too.

Inch by inch, the ice-harvester was dragged towards the edge hands first. His arms were stretched out in front of him; they felt like they were going to rip in two. But he would not let go.

Then the weight on his arms suddenly increased ten-fold as Sven's feet completely lost their grip on the edge, sending the reindeer falling into the abyss below. Kristoff was rapidly dragged forward...his arms went over the edge. Then his head. Then his chest...

A massive force suddenly seized his legs, preventing the lower half of his body from falling into the cliff.

"Hang on!" Anna shouted, panting heavily.

Kristoff looked down below, seeing his best friend suspended in mid-air. The sliver of sunlight that remained was just enough for the ice-harvester to see the sheer panic alight in Sven's eyes.

A heavy grunt sounded from Anna. Inch by inch, Kristoff was slowly being eased onto solid ground, the reindeer below rising with him.

Somehow, Anna had the strength to lift them both. If he had any breath remaining, Kristoff would have sighed in relief, but at the moment all his energy was directed at his grip on the reins.

His arms felt like they were going to rip out of their sockets, but the ice-harvester didn't care. He pulled even harder, new hope fueling his muscles…

Then the world ended.

\

Crack.

A sudden snap sliced through the air. For the moment, Anna barely noticed it, too intent on rescuing her friends.

But then the weight she was supporting suddenly lightened, and in a moment of utter horror, Anna understood.

The reins had snapped in two.

Kristoff's agonized, tortured scream was almost enough to block out the sound. But Anna still heard it, the noise reaching her from hundreds of feet below.

Thump.

It was the sound of Sven's body hitting the ground.


	26. Chapter 26

She tightened her grip on Kristoff's legs, pulling him back away from the cliff even as his hands tried to claw at the snow.

"Let me go!" he demanded, his voice betraying his utter desperation. "I have to save him!"

Anna's eyes filled with tears, but she maintained her hold on the ice-harvester. "It's...it's too late, Kristoff," she nearly sobbed. "He's gone there's nothing we can do!" The redhead reached forward, one of her hands seizing him by the shoulder.

Without her restraining him, there was every chance Kristoff would leap over the edge after his friend.

In response to her words, the ice-harvester only struggled harder. His muscles bristled as he tried to shake her off, but Anna held fast even as drops from her eyes began to sink into the snow below.

"Get the fuck off me! I save to save him!" Kristoff roared.

"You can't. That fall...he couldn't have survived. Even if he landed in the snow. I'm...I'm so sorry Kristoff..." Anna's heart plummeted as she spoke the words, but the redhead knew they were necessary.

"No!" Kristoff yelled. "Sven's strong...he can't be gone...he can't!" Even as the denial left his lips, the ice-harvester was on the verge of a breakdown. Anna could see the moisture glistening in his eyes. He fought against her even more viciously, even managing to climb to his feet, but the redhead's grip was iron-strong.

"Sven wouldn't want you to throw your life away," she pleaded, her attempt to make her voice soothing failing as a sob wracked through her. Kristoff didn't even seem to hear her; the ice-harvester was breathing heavily as he continued his frantic attempts to break free from her grasp.

"I'll...I'll go look," Anna offered. "I can climb better than you can...I'll go climb down until I can see if he's alive. But I'm not going until I know you're not going to jump off the moment I let go. Please..."

Finally, Kristoff sank to his knees, the fight seeming to sink out of him. He leaned forward towards the snow, crying freely now.

"Go..." was all he managed before words simply failed him.

\

Anna made her way down the rock as quickly as she could; in this darkness, it wouldn't be until she reached the bottom that she saw Sven. The lack of light didn't make it easy to climb either, but the cliffside offered more than enough potential handholds despite the layer of snow that covered them. With her experience and her newfound strength, Anna made her way down with relative ease.

Despite knowing, deep down, exactly what she would find, Anna's heart still fluttered with hope. Maybe Kristoff was right. Maybe the snow had cushioned the reindeer's fall. He would be injured, surely, but Anna could tend to him.

She continued her descent. By this point, Anna could almost see the bottom of the cliff. Fear and anticipation grew in equal measure as her eyes struggled to make out the ground below.

Then she saw it. An island of brown amongst the sea of white that rested atop the frozen river.

Sven...

Without thinking, Anna released her hold on the rock. She fell through the air, plummeting down the last thirty feet of the gorge before hitting the ground with a dull thud. Her boots sank into the snow, but neither the ice below nor any of her bones cracked upon impact.

Anna ran across the river, running towards...

No!

By the time she came within twenty feet of the fallen reindeer, Anna already knew. Despair filled her entire being as her eyes took in the sight of Sven's corpse. Kristoff's best friend had landed in the snow, but it hadn't been nearly enough to save him. The reindeer was collapsed on his side, legs so mangled that Anna knew they must have broken upon impact. His mouth was stretched open, almost as if he was laughing at one of his master's jokes.

But all it took was one glance at his eyes..his open, blank eyes, and Anna knew that Sven would never be laughing again.

\

"Kristoff..."

The ice-harvester glanced up immediately, obviously just now registering that Anna had returned. His face lit up with hope. Her heart breaking in two, Anna slowly shook her head.

"I'm...I'm sorry Kristoff..."

Anna watched as the man in front of her sank to his knees and fell headfirst into the snow, sobbing uncontrollably. Blinking away tears of her own, Anna hesitantly stepped towards the prone ice-harvester. She didn't know what to do. What could she do? Nothing she could say would ease his pain. A sensation of helplessness rose up inside her, accompanying the guilt that was already present. If she'd just reacted faster. Killed the wolves faster. Or even if she would have chosen not to be an idiot and go on this damned quest, Sven would still be alive. So would Shadow.

The redhead sighed. At the very least, she could prevent the grieving man in front of her from dying of frostbite. Gently but firmly, Anna lifted Kristoff out of the snow and steadied him on his knees.

"I'm going to make a fire, okay Kristoff?" she said. As painful as it was to live at the moment, Anna's mind automatically began to formulate a plan for their survival. They needed heat or they'd be dead within the hour.

Kristoff continued to sob, not even acknowledging her presence.

With no choice but to leave him where he was, Anna began to assemble a serviceable camp. First and foremost, she quickly assembled a pile of usable sticks, cleared away a plot of snow, and placed them on the ground. Using her inhuman strength and speed, Anna rapidly rubbed two of the largest sticks together.

Within a few minutes, a small but warm flame lit up the night around them.

"Kristoff...come here. We have to stay warm..."

Wordlessly, the ice-harvester slowly shuffled his way towards the flames. Small sobs still wracked through Kristoff's body. His eyes stared at the fire she had created, as if he was contemplating whether to throw his body into the flames.

"I can't imagine what you're going through right now," Anna said softly. "But you need to live. Sven wouldn't have wanted you to give up. He fell because he was running to save our lives; don't let that be in vain!" she implored.

The ice-harvester said nothing, but his gaze into the flames lost some of its intensity.

After growing confident enough that Kristoff wouldn't try and secure himself an early ticket to the afterlife, Anna scavenged through their supplies, many of which had been scattered along the ground during the final moments of the chase. The cold nipped painfully at her fingers, but the redhead managed to find two usable sleeping bags and a small number of blankets before she needed to return to the fire.

"Kristoff...please say something," she pleaded. Suddenly, Anna realized the truth. He wasn't being silent only because he was grieving. He was being silent because he was angry. Anna was to blame for his friend's death, and he would never acknowledge her presence again.

"I...I know it's my fault," she admitted. "I can understand if you never want to see my face again. But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you die out here! We need to stay warm...get in the sleeping bag."

Finally, Kristoff raised his head to look at her.

..."It's not your fault," he murmured.

Anna stared at him. "What?" she asked.

"I said it's not your fucking fault!" he yelled. "I'm the one who agreed to take you to the trolls...I'm the one who didn't see the edge until it was too damn late!"

She wasn't sure how to respond. True, Anna was glad that he wasn't blaming her (and maybe it wasn't entirely her fault) but it was even more painful to watch Kristoff blame himself.

"You were keeping us alive...if you'd gone any slower, those wolves would've torn us to pieces," she finally managed. "You hung onto him until the end, even when you were about to follow him off the edge! There's nothing more you could have done, and you know it. But you can still honor his sacrifice, and that means you need to live!"

The ice-harvester's eyes narrowed, but he gave an almost imperceptible nod. The sorrow radiating from his eyes failed to diminish, but he finally rose to his feet. To her immense relief, Kristoff stumbled over to one of the sleeping bags, dragged it near the fire, and climbed in.

Anna threw a few more sticks onto the fire before bringing her friend a few blankets. As she draped them over his sleeping bag, Anna was relieved to witness a faint nod of thanks before Kristoff again appeared to sink into himself.

Confident now that he would live through the night, Anna prepared her own resting place near the fire. But now that she was finally able to divert some of her attention from Kristoff's well-being, the redhead's mind began to whirl.

Those wolves didn't seem normal. Were they after me? But why would they...?

Someone wanted her dead, the six bodies she'd left on the road the other night were a testament to that fact. Was it really possible that those beasts had been sent after her? Was there some spell that had somehow possessed them? The very notion was ridiculous, but...

My life has become the definition of ridiculous.

\

"What now?" Kristoff finally spoke.

Anna turned her head away from the fire and looked at him. Neither of them had gotten much sleep last night, but it was now an hour past sunrise and neither had said a word to the other. The ice-harvester was doubtless consumed with his grief, and as much as she wanted to help him, Anna had decided that it would be best to let him have his silence.

"I don't know," Anna admitted. It was true. She needed to get back to Elsa, that much was certain. But she also needed to look into the damned wolves that had gotten them into this situation in the first place. Magic may very well have been involved, and that meant that the only ones who might have an idea of who or what had been behind the attack were the trolls. They'd been unable to provide her assistance previously, but that did not mean they wouldn't know anything about this attack.

Of course, there was every chance they would again be unable to help her once again. Judging by how far they'd traveled yesterday, the two of them had crossed slightly less than half the distance between the trolls and the Royal City.

Should I go back? Is it worth the risk?

Perhaps she should simply cut her losses and return to the Palace. But no matter what she chose, there was still the matter of Kristoff. No matter where she decided to go, he was now a liability. Through no fault of his own, his presence would only slow her down. With the two of them now on foot, Anna knew she could travel far faster if she left him behind.

But how could she do that? After he'd lost everything helping her, could she really abandon him in his darkest hour? But if she spent her time helping him, would she be gambling with Elsa's life? Every day she wasn't at the Queen's side was a day the monarch was in increased danger.

Kristoff sat up in his sleeping bag, resting his arms on his knees and staring into their dwindling fire. His face...it was heartbreaking to look at. It seemed as if the life had been sucked out of his eyes.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked him quietly. "If you want to come back with me, Elsa would definitely let you stay in the Castle for a while."

Anna knew it was true. After the Queen finished skewering her on an icicle, the redhead knew the monarch would be more than willing to compensate Kristoff for his services to the crown (even if the mission he'd been supporting hadn't been officially sanctioned,) especially if Anna vouched for him. But where would that lead to? Kristoff wouldn't want to spend his time in a Palace...he loved the outdoors too much. But although Elsa could provide him with a new sleigh and mount to continue his beloved profession, Anna wasn't sure if he would have the heart to return to ice-harvesting without Sven.

"No," Kristoff said. "I want...I want to go back to the trolls. We'll have to wait until the snow melts, but they could help me...help me give S-Sven a proper burial," he finished, his voice cracking painfully.

Anna nodded sadly. Of course. As strange as they could be, Kristoff wanted to spend this time of grief with the trolls. They were his family, after all.

"Okay. I think I should talk to them again anyway, so let's..."

The ice-harvester shook his head. "There's probably nothing they could tell you about...about last night. Even if a curse or something made those wolves come after us, identifying it won't bring us any closer to knowing who casted it. Go back to the Castle, Anna."

The redhead stared at him. "But I can't just leave you out here!" she protested. "It's a week's journey back to the trolls on foot. You shouldn't go alone."

"I have more experience in the wilderness than you ever will," he pointed out. "Besides, the Queen probably wants you back. I'll go to the trolls; if they do end up knowing something that can help you, I'll send word to the Castle."

Finally, Anna caught the undercurrent in his words. His arguments made sense, but there was another reason he was suggesting that they split up. Kristoff wanted to be alone.

\

They spent the next hour splitting their remaining supplies between them. Anna was dismayed to discover that the pouch Rapunzel had given her was missing, probably having been knocked off her during the attack and sent flying into a snow drift somewhere. After searching the surrounding area with no luck, the redhead was forced to conclude that she was now essentially broke.

Still, between all of Kristoff's provisions they had enough for both of them to reach their destinations. The ice-harvester took the sleeping bags and most of the food, as he had the longer journey ahead of him and was heading away from civilization. Anna took a small amount of food and nearly all of the money, it was just enough for her to sleep in a cheap room and eat sparsely for three days...probably just enough time for her to reach the Royal City given her enhanced speed.

She didn't protest. Anna felt bad about taking his hard earned funds, but there was simply no other option.

"I'll pay you back," the redhead promised. "If you're ever in the capital, go to the Castle and ask for me."

Kristoff nodded curtly. Since their first conversation, he'd barely said a word all morning. Not that Anna blamed him. She strapped her small pack of food to her back. "I guess this is goodbye," she murmured. "I can't thank you enough for your help, and I am so, so sorry..."

He cut her off with a sharp glare. Evidently Kristoff wasn't in the mood to be pitied.

Seeing the look on her face, his gaze softened a fraction of a degree. "Good luck, Anna," he managed.

Anna gave him a final nod. Without another word, she took off running through the snow.


	27. Chapter 27

The last three days had been hell.

Traveling across the country in the dead of winter had never been easy. But now, after having spent a month sleeping in a warm bed and having access to all the food she could ever eat, having to nearly go back to her old lifestyle of drafty rooms and stale bread was a grueling experience.

Thank the gods I got to stay in the Castle. Elsa, you've definitely made me soft.

Thankfully, the modicum of money Anna carried was enough to keep her off the streets throughout the trip. However, it appeared that her new abilities did in fact have a downside. Anna hadn't noticed while living in the Castle, but after three days in the wilderness, she was certain that her improved physicality was putting an increased demand on her metabolism. In other words, she needed to eat. A lot.

She still felt the old urge. There were plenty of wealthy households she had passed by throughout the last few days. It would be so easy to climb up and take a few coins, just enough to get rid of the gnawing in her stomach…

But no. Anna wasn't going to become a criminal again. She was a servant of the Queen now, and any crime committed against a citizen of Arendelle would be a betrayal of her mistress. And when she had stolen in the past, it had always been a matter of survival. Now, it was a matter of comfort. As hungry as she was, Anna knew she could make it back to the Castle without keeling over.

I just had to lose that money, didn't I?

Anna was currently trying to doze off on a stack of hay, having persuaded an innkeeper to let her stay there in exchange for most of her remaining coins. The very last of her funds had gone to a mug of low quality ale. The redhead disliked being drunk, but she would do anything at this point to set her mind at ease.

Hunger wasn't the only thing eating away at her. She still felt horrible for Kristoff and Sven, and Anna couldn't help but note that without her having chose to go on this trip, the two of them would now be safe and happy. Instead of...

The redhead sighed. There was nothing she could do for Kristoff now. If he came to the Castle, she would persuade Elsa to help him out in any way she could. But until that day, the matter was out of her hands.

He probably never wants to be near me again. Even if he doesn't blame me, just seeing my face will probably remind him of that day.

Even worse, she hadn't been able to get nearly enough sleep as she would have liked. Even with her enhanced energy, running across Arendelle for hours on end was exhausting.

It wasn't that she had lost the ability to sleep on anything less than velvet sheets; Anna hadn't gone that soft. No. It was the fear that she would be attacked again.

The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that those wolves had been sent after her. How or why, Anna had no idea. But there was someone out there who wanted her dead. A very powerful someone who seemed to have the ability to locate her even in the remote wilderness.

Going to sleep wasn't easy.

Tomorrow, finally, it would all be over. At around midday, Anna would arrive in the Royal City. Food and safety awaited her. As did Elsa. The redhead wasn't sure whether her anticipation at being reunited with the blond Queen eclipsed her terror of facing the monarch's wrath, but deep down she knew that she would be glad to be back.

\

The last leg of her journey was uneventful. Finally, the snow on the ground had begun to melt, and in the last few days no blizzard had arrived to replace it. Anna made excellent time, running across the ground at inhuman speed. Hunger and exhaustion weighed on her heart, but the knowledge of how close she was to a hot meal and a comfortable bed spurred her on. As the sun rose to its highest position in the sky, Anna's eyes finally found what they had hungered to see for days.

The capital of Arendelle.

\

She made her way through the outskirts of the city. Anna's heart hammered with anticipation, but the redhead forced herself to reduce her speed to human levels. Word spreading about a supernaturally fast redhead running through the city wouldn't do Elsa any good. Besides, the streets were packed with citizens going about their afternoon routines despite the three inches of snow that still coated the ground.

Running at peak human speed, Anna only knocked into two people as she hurried towards the main part of the city.

Uttering hurried apologies as she ran and making sure that no one she hit was anything more than shaken up, Anna continued to speed towards the Castle. Traveling up the main road of the city, she could see it now.

The massive structure sat at the back end of the city, surrounded on all sides by imposing stone walls that enclosed both the building itself and the Palace grounds. To the left of the enclosure was the sea as well as the Royal Harbor. The city itself stood on its front, separated from the walls by an open patch of ground roughly one hundred yards across.

But the truly impressive sight stood behind the Castle. The building had been built with sieges in mind, back when Arendelle wasn't the superpower it was today. To that end, the location chosen had been both at one of the highest points of the city and near enough to the harbor that the country's navy could assist in defense of the citadel. Behind it, however, stood the pine forest that she and Elsa had visited last month.

On the other side of small but dense forest stood a tall mountain range. The peaks were roughly five miles away from the Palace, making them easily visible from almost anywhere in the city. The sight of the Castle, standing proudly next to the sparkling ocean with the mountains serving as a backdrop, was breathtaking.

She was roughly two-thirds of the way through the city now, navigating her way through a crowded market. All around her, people bought and sold more goods than she could ever hope to sample. Plenty of them would definitely have caught her interest, if she hadn't lost her bag of funds.

I wonder if Elsa will lend me some...

"Bowman!" a panicked voice behind her cried.

Anna whipped around to see a short man raising a longbow, completely ignoring the scattering crowd around him. His aim, of course, was in her direction.

It was only through superhuman reflexes that she was spared. As he fired, Anna darted to the right...avoiding the projectile by mere inches. Around her, dozens of people were running in all directions, calls for the guards echoed through the air.

Anna couldn't afford to wait for help. She charged the bowman, drawing her sword as she ran. The archer's hands were a blur as he reloaded; he placed another arrow on the string seconds before she could reach him.

Time seemed to slow as he fired. Without thinking, Anna whipped her sword through the air. The blade intercepted the arrow a semi-second before it could reach her, slicing through the wood like a hot knife through butter. As the now useless twigs fell to the ground beside her, the redhead continued running. The archer's eyes lit up in shock.

She had to finish him now, before he could fire again. There was no guarantee she could pull that off a second time, and he had managed to reload at almost superhuman speed.

As his hands reached for a third arrow, Anna closed the remaining distance between them and swung her blade in a wide arc.

The screaming around her only intensified as the archer's head hit the ground, but Anna had little time to worry about the public's perceptions. Every single previous attack had been carried out by a large group; there was no reason to think...

Her eyes zeroed in on a tall, well-built man running around one of the vending stalls. Unlike the rest of the crowd, he was heading towards her...and a black greatsword was held in his hands.

Anna met his charge. Her arms jarred slightly as their blades collided, but the redhead could instantly tell that her strength surpassed his.

She pressed him back, disengaged around his desperate parry, and swung her sword up in a smooth arc. The steel cut through flesh, blood, and bone, severing his right arm a few inches below the shoulder. With a cry of pain, the man fell to the ground, his greatsword slipping out of his left fist and falling beside him.

A quick glance around her told her that, by now, nearly everyone in the area was running from the fight as quickly as they could. Her eyes registered no threats; no one else had pulled a weapon. The redhead wasted no time, lashing out with her right knee. The blow caught him in the forehead, knocking him to the ground.

"Who the hell are you?!" Anna demanded, placing the tip of her blade on his exposed throat. "Why do you want to...aaaah!"

Suddenly her lower back felt like it was burning. The greatest agony she had ever experienced sprouted across her flesh. It felt like when she was six years told and burned the tip of her finger on a candle's flame...only ten times as intense and spread out over half of her back.

She crumpled to the ground almost instantly; it was only through sheer luck that her sword landed flat beneath her as she fell into the snow.

Anna's nose dimly registered the smell of smoke, but ninety-five percent of her mental capacity was consumed by the pure pain that still erupted on her back.

"Hmph, mercenaries. If you want something done right..." murmured a condescending female voice behind her. Collapsed on the ground with her head face down, Anna couldn't see anything. She did hear, however, the defeated swordsman groan and try to rise.

It took her every last effort, but Anna managed to rise a few inches off the ground. As her peripheral vision returned, Anna perceived a brief flash of light and heat originate behind her. The attack, whatever it was, seemed to be directed at the man laying beside her...a fact that was confirmed by his short, agonized scream.

Adrenaline began to kick in, blocking out the pain just enough for Anna to begin to think. She was up against an opponent who possibly believed she was dead, but the woman would soon discover Anna's continued survival.

She had to move.

Tears born from pure agony rained down her face, but Anna tightened her grip on her sword and sprung to her feet, whirling around to face...

A young woman perhaps only slightly older than Elsa stood before her, roughly fifteen feet away. With striking blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and an orange set of upper-middle classes clothes covering her person, she seemed completely normal.

Or she would have, if not for the small fire that she held in her hand.

The assailant's eyes widened. "You're alive?!" she stuttered. Within a second, however, her gaze was hardening. The fire that sprouted from her palm grew larger.

Anna's pain-ravaged brain struggled to process the details. She was up against a magic-user who fully intended to kill her. And it would only take one more hit to put the redhead down for good.

Her attacker threw out her arm, releasing a fireball aimed directly at Anna's chest.

The redhead jumped to the left, feeling the fire's heat rake across her skin as the attack narrowly missed. As another spike of pain flared across her back, Anna stumbled. Again, she fell to her knees.

Before her opponent could attack again, Anna clenched her sword hilt with one hand and hurled the weapon as if it were a javelin. For a moment, it appeared as if the desperate ploy would succeed, but the fire-wielder dived out of the way just before the thrown blade could reach her. The woman raised her palm again, the fire growing.

Anna knew she was staring death in the face. This was it...her luck had finally run out. Her time on the earth had ended; she would never see Elsa again.

Elsa...

A sudden idea racing through her, Anna found the energy to roll to the right and dodge the next fireball. The agony in her back only increased as her exposed skin hit the ground, but Anna came up with her hands scrambling in the snow. Climbing to her knees, the redhead hastily packed her projectile together and hurled it at her enemy.

The woman stumbled back as a snowball thrown with inhuman strength struck her in the face…just before she could ready her next burst of flame. As the stunned assailant reflexively tried to wipe the wipe the white powder from her eyes, Anna called upon the last of the strength in her legs.

She leapt through the air, closing the distance between them and pouncing on the woman. They collapsed to the ground in a heap, Anna on top.

Agony and desperation fueling her frenzy, Anna lashed out with all of her strength. The first punch hit the woman right between the eyes, knocking her head into the snow. The second blow caught her on the skull, hitting so hard that Anna heard a loud crack as the woman's skull broke.

By the third punch, her enemy was dead.

Anna sat on her knees, panting heavily. And as the last breath left the woman beneath her, the redhead's adrenaline-laced fury disappeared, replaced by agony and exhaustion.

My back...

She crawled off the woman and swerved her head to look at the damage. The sight immediately sickened her.

A hole roughly six inches in diameter had been burned through her clothes. But it was the flesh below that was truly horrifying. Her skin was pure red...clear save for the ugly boils that were sprouting across it.

"Hands up!" a gruff voice shouted.

Anna raised her head to see a group of three town guards standing before her, each with a crossbow aimed at her forehead. She did as they asked, but not silently.

"I need help," she pleaded, the pain making her sob. "These people attacked me...that woman burned me with magic...my back. Please...I'm Queen Elsa's personal attendant...take me to the Castle."

The guards glanced at each other skeptically.

"I doubt that; I'm afraid we have to take you in. Until we investigate what happened here...three dead...you'll be staying with us. Come quietly and we can have your injuries looked at," he offered.

Wordlessly, Anna nodded, knowing she had no choice. She couldn't resist even if she wanted to.

In fact, she could no longer even remain conscious. As the last of her adrenaline faded away, Anna fell face first into the snow...the world going black around her.


	28. Chapter 28

None of them had the slightest idea how the woman had been burned.

It had been three hours since the panic in the streets had called them to the scene. Three dead bodies had awaited them, one of which also appeared to suffer from inexplicable burns. The only survivor of the confrontation had been a young woman; a quick analysis of the scene hinted that she was responsible for at least some of those deaths.

Although they had no idea what had started the confrontation, it was obvious that the lone survivor would be facing multiple charges of murder. It was possible that her eventual trial would prove that she was innocent or at least had been acting in self-defense, but for the foreseeable future she would be remaining in captivity.

Assuming, of course, that she lived. Whatever had burned her back had been hot enough to melt through the relatively heavy clothing that the woman had been wearing; it was astounding that she had even survived. As it was, the redhead's back had been horribly injured. And still, she had not regained consciousness.

They had taken her to the district's police headquarters, whereupon she had been brought to the infirmary. Currently, she was being examined by the physician on staff while under heavy guard. Her time in a cell would begin once she finally awoke and was judged fit enough to walk.

\

She walked into the building, deciding to go in alone while she confirmed her suspicions. Scowling, she strode over to the lobby's only other occupant, an officer manning the front desk who was staring down at his paperwork.

"Excuse me?" she prompted, resting her hands on the silken green dress she wore. Startled, the officer glanced upward. Judging by his slightly graying brown hair and the faint wrinkles encircling his eyes, he was roughly forty years old and an experienced member of the police force.

"Can I help you?" he asked, his voice weary as his gaze returned to the paperwork.

"Yes. You recently arrested a young woman, correct? Red-hair, with a white streak?" she questioned.

The officer's pupils widened slightly, probably out of surprise at how she had correctly guessed the details, but his eyes remained fixed on his work. . "...Yes," he admitted. "If you're looking to pay her bail, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. People who face murder charges are not afforded that option."

"I'm not here to pay her bail," she revealed.

"Then why are you-?"

"I'm here to see her released and have any charges against her dropped."

"I apologize, ma'am, but..."

"If that woman killed anyone, it is because she was acting in self-defense. She is innocent; get her out of wherever you're holding her and bring her here," she demanded.

The officer sighed. "As I've already explained, she will not be released until a trial is held. After she awakes, perhaps you will be allowed to visit her cell..."

"She hasn't woken up yet?!"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Enough," he said shortly, clearly growing annoyed. "I have important work to attend to; leave me be. If your friend is innocent, she will be released following her trial. Good day, ma'am."

Her eyes narrowed. "There isn't going to be a trial," she nearly hissed. "I forbid it."

"And what makes you think you can override the law?" he demanded.

"Because I am the law."

He hadn't recognized her yet; in order to avoid attention during this visit, she had worn a normal dress and fastened her hair differently than usual. But now, as the officer studied her face closely, she could she the recognition dawning in his eyes.

"Y-Your Majesty?"

Elsa nodded, producing a few snowflakes from her palm to prove her identity. "Bring me to her. Now," she demanded. The Queen harbored no ill will for the man in front of her, he was just doing his job, but she had grown tired of waiting.

"O-of course, Your Majesty."

\

It hadn't taken long for Elsa to hear about what had happened in the market. Rumors of a skirmish breaking out in the city, a skirmish that ended with at least three dead, had rapidly reached the Castle. After her officials had brought the matter to her attention, the Queen had been quick to investigate the exact details of the event.

And when she had learned that those questioned told of one survivor from the confrontation, described as a young woman with bright red hair, Elsa had quickly put two and two together.

What other young girl could overpower three assailants?

The Queen didn't know how the battle had started, but she was willing to bet that Anna hadn't simply decided to strike three random people down for the hell of it.

She'd decided to travel personally to where the woman in question was being held to investigate the matter, disguising herself somewhat in order to avoid bringing attention down upon this situation. Even though she was certain Anna was innocent, she doubted that it would be good for the redhead for people to know she'd been arrested.

But one look at Anna's back, and Elsa knew that the public's perception was the least of her personal attendant's problems.

Her heart broke as she saw Anna laid out on her stomach across a white cotton bed, still wearing the same pants she had left the Castle in. From the waist up, she was naked, allowing a nurse to the right of her bed to examine...

Elsa wasn't sure whether she wanted to cry or throw up.

Third-degree burns covered the lower half of Anna's back. The skin was a brownish red, horribly swollen, and covered with so many boils and cracks that the Queen couldn't help but compare it to a sample of volcanic rock.

Anna...

"Out of my way!" the Queen shouted, darting forwards to Anna's bedside and nearly shoving the nurse to the side. The woman made to protest...but stopped as she witnessed the magic begin to flow out of Elsa's fingers.

She wasn't sure how well her power would work on burns, but the Queen was sure as hell going to try.

\

Anna was standing at the edge of a dark room. It was small, almost seeming to be a perfect square roughly ten feet across. Scarlet red torches lined the walls, providing just enough haunting light for the redhead to perceive the chilling scene that was playing out in front of her.

A tall metal post was lodged in the center of the room. Four men and two women, all clad in jet black robes, surrounded it in a circular ring. Each of them was chanting in a harsh, deep language that Anna failed to recognize. As they spoke, black mist seeped out of their hands. It filled the room, creating an oppressive veil that made it harder and harder for the redhead to see. But the majority of it seemed to be directed at the post. Or, more accurately, at the post's occupant.

Lashed to the metal was a beautiful young woman. Initially, she reminded Anna of Elsa, but the similarities were not as many as the redhead first perceived. This woman was taller, and her currently unkempt hair was completely white. Rather than the sickly absence of color that came with old age, the tone of her hair was the proud, natural white of snow. Her eyes were a dull gray. In other circumstances, Anna could imagine them shining with wisdom and experience, but right now they were glaring at the room's other occupants with what could only be described as primal fury.

The blue dress she wore was in tatters. In fact, so was her skin. Various red cuts adorned the woman's arms, legs, and chest; many of them were still bleeding. But the most horrifying aspect of her appearance were the faintly glowing red ropes wrapped around her hands and feet, binding her to the post.

As Anna watched, some of the black mist began to fly into the woman. It seeped through her skin gradually; the more that entered her system, the more the woman struggled desperately against her restraints.

"Traitors!" she bellowed at her captors. "Cowards! Vermin! Unworthy of the gifts I granted you!"

One of the men broke off his chanting and gazed directly into her eyes.

"The world has been under your sway for far too long," he said, his voice calm but confident. "I have no regrets."

His prisoner continued to thrash wildly, but she could make no headway against the ropes. Black mist continued to pour into her skin, and its effects were becoming increasingly apparent. Her flesh began to redden, smoke rising from its pores. Anna could smell the scent of burning.

The woman cried out in pure pain, but the others continued with their work. Her skin became the color of scarlet, now letting off copious amounts of steam. Formerly white hair caught fire, alighting the room with its hungry glow.

Flames appeared all along the woman's flesh, rapidly consuming the remains of her dress. It was without a doubt the most horrifying sight Anna had ever witnessed, but she couldn't turn away. She couldn't even move. Her body was rooted in place, forcing her to watch the sickening display.

Then it was over. Rapidly picking up speed, the orange flames completely consumed the woman. She gave one final scream as her life was literally extinguished...then her body slumped forward. Still, the flames continued their work; within another thirty seconds her remains were dissolved completely, leaving nothing but a smattering of ashes that seemed to melt away into the air.

The jailers finally ceased their chanting and dropped their hands.

"It's over."

\

Her first thought was that the ground was too soft.

She came to slowly, her eyelids starting to flutter open. The room was bright, sunlight coupled with her blurry vision obscured most of her surroundings. They looked familiar, however, though Anna had a feeling that she hadn't seem them for some time.

As her head cleared, Anna began to perceive something else. She was laying on her stomach...the surface underneath was comfortable...but her back was freezing. A sensation of cold was rushing into it. A familiar sensation.

Anna's eyes snapped open. Pressing her hands down into the bed and using them as leverage, Anna got off of her stomach and whipped around.

The redhead barely believed the sight that greeted her. She was in her room in Castle Arendelle; the afternoon sunlight illuminating the blue carpeting and pristine white walls she'd grown accustomed to. Her peripheral vision revealed her to be dressed in one of her sleeping outfits. But it took less than a second for Anna's vision to focus on the one thing she had missed above all others.

Elsa was standing at her bedside, a look of utmost concern on her face. Magic was trailing from her fingertips; evidently the Queen had just been healing her back.

For a moment the two women simply stared at one another, both at an utter loss for words.

Then Anna was lurching forward, wrapping her arms around the Queen and pulling her into an embrace. Elsa gave a start of surprise as the redhead literally yanked her down onto the bed, but the monarch quickly recovered and began to reciprocate the hug.

The stress of the past week. Her fear of being hunted down...of dying on the blades of her enemies. Her grief over the deaths of Sven and Shadow. She'd had to keep her guard up for days, and now that she was finally safe, emotions Anna had bottled up for through her entire journey now came to the surface.

She sobbed into the Queen's shoulder, her tears flowing freely. Elsa's only response was to squeeze her tighter.

"I-I'm...I'm such an idiot, Elsa," Anna managed. "Shadow's dead...Sven's dead...they nearly killed me...I..."

At this, the Queen finally pulled back somewhat, clasping her hands on the redhead's shoulders.

"I'm so glad that you're safe...you had me so worried. But Anna...what the hell happened out there? Who is dead? And who was trying to kill you...?" Elsa paused, sighing. "Tell me everything," she ordered.

"The night I left, six men attacked me...they had poisoned crossbows...I...s-stopped them, but they got Shadow. I slept in an inn and met this guy Kristoff the next morning who's an ice-harvester who knows the trolls...yes they exist. He took me to them and they said they didn't know anything that could help us but that they've always been happy to assist the monarchy and would gladly help you in the future as long as you keep them secret. On the way back we got attacked by these demon wolves and Sven...Kristoff's reindeer, d-died. We split up and I walked the rest of the way back here, but in the city I got ambushed by three people and one of them could create fire from her hands. She got me in the back...but she wasn't nearly as strong as you and I managed to...beat...her before the guards found me."

It was one of the worst cases of babbling in Anna's life, and that was saying a lot, but the redhead couldn't help but try and get through the painful story as fast as humanely possible.

Elsa stared at her dumbly for several seconds, her brain obviously working overtime for several seconds in order to process the information she had just received.

"You're telling me," the Queen said slowly, "That you were attacked three times in the course of one week? And after the first attempt on your life...you didn't come back immediately?!" Elsa demanded, dropping her arms from Anna's shoulders.

"I wanted to-"

The Queen silenced her with a death glare. Now that she was certain that Anna was okay and the initial moment of relief had passed, it appeared as if her dormant fury was coming to the surface.

"I specifically ordered you not to go out there! But as if simply heading out on that ridiculous quest wasn't idiotic enough, you kept going even after you were nearly killed in an assassination attempt?! Do you think you're invincible, Anna, just because you have some extra speed and strength?"

"Like you haven't made the same mistake!" the redhead retorted, remembering how Elsa had been utterly certain that her powers would make any attack on her person impossible.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Oh please. Yes, I was somewhat overconfident. That didn't mean I went walking around through the country without my guards!"

"I was doing it for you!" Anna shouted. "I was risking my life for a chance to save yours! The least you could do is not yell at me for it!"

The monarch gave an exasperated sigh. "I know that, Anna. And I'm grateful that you want to protect me. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you go off and do whatever you think is best. I am the Queen. I was running this country for half a decade while you were on a robbing spree! Just because your heart was in the right place doesn't mean you made the right decision. Use your fucking head, Anna! As was clearly demonstrated by the last two attempts on my life, I'm a lot safer with you around! But you substantially decreased my protection just for the slimmest of chances that you might discover something useful, which, by the way, you didn't!"

The words hit hard. They were harsh, but Anna slowly began to realize the Queen's point. What had her journey accomplished, anyway, besides ruining a good man's life?

For once, Anna was speechless.

Seeing the look on the redhead's face, Elsa's gaze softened considerably. "Anna, I love you. Never doubt that. But I need you to listen to me from now on, okay? I know you want what's best for me, but you have to trust my judgment. If you think I'm making a mistake, tell me, but once I make a final decision...respect it. I'm the one with the experience; I know what I'm doing."

The redhead nodded slightly. "I'm sorry," she said softly. Suddenly, a pressing thought came to her. "Elsa...do you know why people were trying to kill me? I'd never even seen any of them before. I just don't understand..."

"Because they want to kill me," Elsa said simply. Anna looked at her, confused.

"But why-"

"They know the same thing I do: I'm safer with you around. Somehow they knew you had left. While you were vulnerable, they seized a chance to try and weaken my defenses permanently, so that when they finally have an opening to strike me...there's one less threat they have to deal with. Anna...they must have had someone observing the last attack," the Queen stated, her voice laced with horrified realization. "They must have seen what you can do...they know you have some kind of magic. Gods, Anna, you're probably their second-biggest target now..."

Was it just Anna, or did the Queen's tone have a trace of guilt in it?

"I'll be fine, Elsa," the redhead said confidently. "I'll be careful from now on...we'll stay together. If they want one of us, they'll have to take down both of us!"

The Queen's face fell even further. "I suppose your...quest...helped us learn some things. Unfortunately, most of it's not good. We know that my enemies are still out there in force, judging by what they were able to send after you. Some of them can wield magic. And somehow they had the ability to locate you, they were able to send...'demon wolves'...that found you halfway across the country."

"Kristoff mentioned that the trolls are capable of a spell like that," Anna remembered. "It's probably the same thing."

Elsa sighed. "At least we know that they're on our side, if we need them." She paused. "You do believe they were trustworthy, correct?"

Anna nodded. "A little strange, but trustworthy. I spent a night with them; they never gave me a reason to doubt them. Their leader, Grand Pabbie, knew enough about your father to convince me that they'd been in contact before his death. And Kristoff...he was raised by them, and he was really helpful." Gods, I feel so sorry for him.

The Queen simply nodded, her eyes falling to the sheets.

Anna sighed; all of their arguing had tired her out. She laid back against her bed's pillows...

"Oooow!" she gasped as her back hit the mattress painfully.

The Queen hurriedly raised her off the bed. Placing one hand on Anna's back, she released a soothing blast of magic.

"…Thanks," Anna breathed. "How...how bad is it?" she asked, having still not seen her flesh following the attack.

Elsa's eyes fell to the ground. "...Better," she said after a prolonged pause. "My magic seems to work well on burns...which I suppose makes sense. But it was...really bad when I found you," the Queen admitted, "It keeps improving the more magic I put into it, but there might be...might be some scarring."

Anna frowned. Scarring on her back she could live with, as long as her muscles didn't flare up in pain every time she tried to move.

"But otherwise, you think I'll recover?"

The Queen looked away. "I had the Castle Physicians look at you...they think so. But you'll need to stay in bed for at least a few days..." she managed.

Suddenly, Anna remembered an important question she had yet to voice.

"How did you find me? The last thing I remember is the guards making me surrender...gods, Elsa I was arrested! What happened? I can't believe I'm only wondering this now...how did I get here?!"

"...I heard that a red-haired woman was the only survivor of a fight in town, a fight that left three others dead. I went to where you were being held, started to heal you, and brought you back here."

Anna stared at her. "But I was arrested! They thought...wait, is there going to be a trial or something?"

"No...no trial," Elsa replied, sounding distant now.

"You can do that?"

The monarch sighed. "Anna, I'm the Queen. As I've reminded you in the past, my word is law. If I vouch for someone's innocence, then they're free to go. Obviously, I knew you wouldn't have attacked three people at random...and you've clearly suffered enough," she said, her voice clearly pained.

The redhead smiled. Knowing that Elsa had abused her power on her behalf shouldn't be something Anna approved of, but the personal attendant couldn't help but feel touched by the gesture...and by the faith the Queen had placed in her. Still, she didn't understand what was affecting the Queen. Elsa had been angry; Anna had understood that, but this seemed to be something else entirely.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna asked.

"Nothing," the Queen said quickly. "I...I should go. Get some rest, Anna." The monarch placed a short kiss on the redhead's lips before getting of the bed and swiftly exiting the room, leaving the personal attendant to stare after her in confusion.

\

It was all her fault.

All she'd ever wanted to do since she'd met Anna was help the girl. The redhead had had such a hard life, but Elsa had believed that she could wave her hands and fix Anna's problems with a snap of her fingers. The Queen hadn't been so naive as to assume that her actions wouldn't present some new difficulties for Anna; as long as she lived in the Castle the redhead would be a pariah to many, but on the whole the monarch had believed that she was substantially improving Anna's situation.

She'd been a fool.

On the surface, Anna's life was better now than it ever had been. She had warm food, clean clothes, and a fire-lit room to return to every night. But the Queen realized now that those things had come at a cost. A cost that Elsa had led her into paying.

Anna's innocence was gone. She'd been forced to kill dozens in the last two months, something that Elsa could tell understandably tormented the redhead. And all because the Queen had placed her into a dangerous position she should never have had to fill.

But that was nothing compared to the latest development. Because the Queen had nonchalantly made Anna her personal attendant, the redhead was now a prime target of whatever conspiracy was after Elsa herself. In the span of one week three separate attempts on her life had been undertaken; more would certainly follow. Perhaps Elsa's actions were making Anna's time on earth more enjoyable...but they also might have considerably shortened it.

And removing Anna from her role as the Queen's personal attendant wouldn't help matters. It was too late for that. The redhead was now considered a threat to a very determined enemy's plans; the attacks wouldn't stop until Anna was dead or the conspiracy was defeated.

Anna had been right. They were both safer now by staying together. Elsa may have dragged the redhead into this mess, but it was beyond her power to reverse that mistake.

I'm sorry, Anna. I wanted to give you a better life...the life you deserved. But all I've done is make things worse.


	29. Chapter 29

The Council was in chaos.

With Anna still recuperating in her room following her eventful return yesterday, Elsa was attending yet another meeting unaccompanied by her personal attendant. And that meant that the Queen had no choice but to give a second-hand accounting of the redhead's journey.

Or rather, an edited second-hand account.

She'd visited the redhead this morning, partially to make sure that Anna was remaining in her bed as the royal physicians had strongly recommended. As the Queen had continued the process of healing the attendant's back, the two of them had briefly discussed what should and should not be disclosed to the Council. Anna had vehemently argued against revealing the existence of the trolls; they valued their secrecy highly and had made it clear that only Elsa herself should be told.

Though it would mean that she had to lie, Elsa had readily agreed. She trusted much of the Council, but the risk of the knowledge leaking would be too great. Not only would such a scenario alienate a powerful potential ally, but it would also force the harmless clan to leave the country for fear of exploitation.

The rest of the journey was fine to tell, save for changing Kristoff's motivation for helping Anna into a promise of payment rather than a desire to do as his adopted family would have requested. The holes had been filled by stating that the redhead, rather than searching for magical trolls, had been dispatched to the other end of the country in response to a rumor that had reached the Queen's ears, detailing the possible location of ancient scrolls containing knowledge of magic. Unfortunately, when Anna reached the city where they were supposedly held in a small but respectable library, the rumor had turned out to be nothing more than empty whispers.

When asked why her personal attendant had been sent on such a task, Elsa had countered that the nature of the mission required the most trusted agent who could be spared for over a week.

Her discussion with Anna had been excruciating. Surprisingly, the redhead had not brought up Elsa's clear distress and swift departure yesterday. It was understandable, however, given Anna's obvious trauma and the fact that most of the redhead's focus was directed at her recovery.

But despite escaping a confrontation, every second of her time with Anna had been torture for the young Queen. Recounting her love's horrifying experiences was distressing enough. But knowing that, in the end, all of them were the result of Elsa's own actions had brought an entirely new dimension of pain to the discussion.

A pang of guilt ate away at her heart every time Anna's lips clenched in pain, which happened whenever the redhead moved her back the wrong way.

You were the one who chose to go out there. But I'm the one who dragged you into this in the first place, and I'm the one who should have known better. Even if you hadn't left, you would still be a target...and something like this would have happened eventually regardless.

The morning had been bad enough, but the afternoon was certainly not shaping up to be an improvement. To Elsa's dismay, most of the Council's response to the news of three separate attacks on Anna's life had not been shock and alarm. Blatant skepticism was the more appropriate term.

As soon as Elsa had finished her tale (adding that the knowledge of Anna's brief arrest was not to leave the room) and invited the others to comment, the meeting descended into near-anarchy.

"This is outrageous!" cried Lady Katherine, her voice raising above the others. "Perhaps one assassination attempt is believable...but three!? As much as the girl has sacrificed for you, Your Majesty, it seems that she retains an ability to spin tall tales."

Lord Vance, an older man with graying hair who served as both the head and representative of his House, spoke up. "I do not even understand why she would even be the target of a single attack, Your Majesty. She is but one of your protectors, and none of your other guards has seen an attack on their persons while you were not present."

At this, most of the Council members ceased their arguing. Apparently they believed Vance's point was a good one, because nearly every head in the room turned to the Queen expectantly.

Elsa sighed. She'd wanted to keep Anna's powers under wraps, both because their existence revealed the monarch's blatant favoritism and in order to shield the redhead from likely prejudice. There were plenty in Arendelle who disliked the notion of magical abilities, and although Elsa had her status as Queen to protect her from vitriol and discrimination, Anna was not so fortunate.

But she had no choice.

"I'm afraid she is more than just a typical guard," Elsa admitted. "Recently, it has become apparent that Anna has been developing abilities of a magical nature. Neither she nor I understand exactly how they have come about, but it is possible that she possessed latent powers that were triggered by contact with my magic. In any event, she is stronger, faster, and more resilient than should be possible...attributes that seem to increase by the day. During the attempt on my life, Anna's possession of these abilities was a key factor in my survival; something that anyone who observed the attack from a moderate distance would have recognized. It is my belief that my enemies had an agent doing exactly this, and have now identified Anna as an obstacle that must be removed if a future attempt is to succeed."

Evangeline was the only Council member not staring at her in shock.

"So that's how she...!" Kale breathed.

"Perhaps," the Queen admitted. "But I will not have knowledge of her abilities leaving this room. Even if some of my enemies know of her powers, there are plenty out there who remain in the dark. Preserving a secret weapon tends to work best when it remains a secret." And I will not have Anna humiliated. Vrael's supporters would have a field day.

Katherine was the first to recover her voice. "Be that as it may, Your Majesty, I still find her story difficult to believe. Crossbows are one thing but possessed wolves and a fire-mage?"

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "We all know what I can do. Is it truly that hard to imagine that others out there possess similar gifts?"

"Magically commanding wolves to murder a person is hardly similar to wielding ice, Your Majesty. And even the notion of a fire-user, while slightly more possible, is still something we have not encountered before. Why would the perpetrators have not have sent her after you during their attempt on your life? After all, you are undoubtedly their primary target."

"We understand your gratitude towards this woman, Your Majesty. But you must not allow that appreciation to cloud your judgment. Showering her with your favor is one thing. Accepting her word without any proof is another," Vance added.

The Queen resisted the urge to bang her hands against the table in frustration. "Showering her with favor?" Elsa repeated.

She made little effort to keep the ice out of her voice, but Katherine apparently did not catch it. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I know of no other servant or guard in this Castle who is quartered in the Upper Wing. Or who is invited to take their meals with you every night. It is obvious that you are fond of her, Your Majesty, but you must not allow..."

The noblewoman grew silent as the temperature in the room fell twenty degrees in the span of three seconds.

"I accept advice, Katherine, but I will not be lectured to as if I am a spoiled child. Frankly, whom I choose to show favor to is not your concern. Nor any of yours." She paused, gazing meaningfully at each of the room's other occupants. "Anna has never given me the slightest reason to doubt her word, and I frankly cannot think of any possible motivation she could have for lying about such matters. In any event, I personally saw her burns following her return, and I..." she suppressed a shudder, "I cannot conceive of any other way they could have been inflicted save a fire in the city, which as we all know, has not occurred in the last year."

Vance's eyes fell to the table, but Katherine defiantly kept her head raised. "That may be, Your Majesty, but I find it foolish to not at least attempt to investigate her claims. If she is telling the truth, the implications are vast. We must know for certain. All I recommend is sending out a man or two to discover proof of these stories."

Elsa's first instinct was to lash out at the noblewoman. She was the Queen, and her judgment was all that was required for a decision to be final. If the monarch accepted someone's word, then their claims were taken as fact.

But her Queenly instincts made her hesitate. It wouldn't do for her Council to doubt her. True, she held all the power in the room, but the monarch had the suspicion that trying times laid ahead. Arendelle needed unity. And that was important than her pride for Anna's sake.

"To sate your curiosity, I will have agents investigate the site of each attack and recover evidence. Evangeline," Elsa prompted. "Speak with Anna about where the two skirmishes took place, then send out one man to each location." The Queen hated acquiescing, but deep down she knew that the noblewoman had a point. As much as she trusted Anna, Elsa knew that the Council had far less knowledge of the redhead's actions than she did.

Once Anna was announced as her consort, she would need every advantage she could get in order to gain the acceptance of the nobility. Many would bemoan Elsa's choice out of respect for tradition and blatant elitism. Distrust was something that should not be added to the list.

The spymaster nodded.

"What is next?" the Queen prompted, resisting the urge to sigh.

\

The day had been exhausting.

Following the grueling Council session, which had consisted of virtually useless speculation about those after Elsa's head, the Queen had been subjected to a series of meetings about a far more mundane but equally maddening topic.

Her twenty-fourth birthday was due in two weeks. And as was custom, a gala was planned in celebration of the event. This alone would have been distressing (despite years of practice, Elsa disliked parties,) but what was worse was that she was responsible for organizing the entire affair.

The monarch had delegated as many of the decisions as she could, but nothing could get her out of three hours of discussion with a plethora of officials concerning the subject. Which banners to hang and wine to serve could be safely left to the discretion of others, but it was still her responsibility to decide when the event should be held and (most importantly) who to invite.

Note to self: remember Anna's invitation this time.

After considering the politics for what felt like ages, Elsa at last managed to finalize a list and allow the servants to begin delivering invitations. Excusing herself, the Queen pondered her next destination.

She wanted to see Anna. Anna would want to see her. But the Queen couldn't bring herself to visit the redhead's room. She was in no condition to deal with another round of guilt, and her eyes were crying out for rest. The redhead was still confined to her bed, meaning that Elsa didn't have to worry about dinner.

So the monarch made what she knew was the weak decision and walked to her own chambers in the Royal Wing. The highest floor in the Palace, the Wing was reserved only for members of the Arendellian Royal Family (save the monarch's relatives, visiting royals were given rooms in the Guest Wing, which was situated on the same floor as her study.) It made some nights quite lonely, but Elsa valued her privacy far too much to complain.

Besides, she had once thought to herself. I've got the largest room by far; my closet alone is probably the size of an Upper Wing bedroom.

Her chambers were massive. The Royal Wing, situated on the top floor of the main section of the Castle, was the smallest story in the Palace. However, as its only purpose was to serve as the living quarters of the Royal Family, that left plenty of room for its four bedrooms. One for the monarch and their spouse, two for any potential children they might have, and one traditionally maintained for a visiting member of the Coronan royal household that Rapunzel had recently made use of.

Following the deaths of her parents, Elsa had been reluctant to move out of her former room and take residence in their old chambers. But for the sake of tradition and to give the appearance of assuming their authority, she'd had no choice. The new monarch had, however, ordered entirely new furniture to be brought in along with an extensive paint job, both in order to make the room look less like where her parents had slept and to accommodate her love of blue and white.

In the back center of the room rested her king-size bed; the combination of icy-blue sheets, snow-white pillows, and gray oak headboard was a strange one, but as long as it reminded the Queen of the season she loved, it was fine with her. Persian rugs of similar colors covered the entirety of the floor. An alcove on the left side of the room led to her walk-in closet and changing area, while a door on the right opened to a large marble bathroom.

Bookshelves and dressers made of light mahogany lined the walls. Two sets of plush leather chairs, each with an accompanying large table, took up half of the room's corners. They were mostly for show; the Queen seldom took guests in her room.

After summoning two of her maids to help her retire, Elsa slipped into her bed and prepared for an early night.

What she didn't expect was for her legs to brush against a thin piece of leather as they maneuvered under the blankets.

The Queen's arms lurched towards the offending sensation, quickly pinpointing the object. Unsure of what to expect, Elsa grabbed the leather and easily extracted it from beneath the covers.

It was a book. A slim, humble tome rested in her hands; it was barely ten pages in length and bound in simple brown leather. It was the title, however, that piqued her curiosity. Etched into the front of the book was a single sentence: The Little Match Girl.

The Queen opened to page one.

\

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Elsa opened her eyes with a groan. Judging by the position of the sun outside, the monarch had barely received an hour of rest. But that had all been ended by the impatient pounding on her door, a pounding that was continuing.

"What?!" the monarch called as she sat up in her bed. It was not an invitation to enter, but her 'visitor' did not appear to notice this fact. The door swung open, revealing a frowning redhead clothed in one of her scarlet sleeping robes.

"Anna!" Elsa shouted. "What are you...you're supposed to be in bed! How did you get up here?"

Her personal attendant walked into the room, taking a moment to observe her surroundings. "Wow! And I thought that my room was nice," Anna breathed. "Anyway, you gave me walk-in privileges, remember? The guards at the stairs weren't exactly happy about it, but they let me through."

The monarch resisted an urge to slap a palm to her forehead. Yes, she remembered.

"Anna, at this moment you don't even have walking privileges. Go downstairs and get back in bed; you need to recover!" Elsa commanded. In truth, the Queen was amazed that the redhead had even managed to make it up the stairs on her own.

The redhead bit her lip. "Did you read the book?" she questioned.

The Queen's eyes narrowed. So rather than a maid simply leaving it behind by accident, its placement had been another one of Anna's stunts. Elsa should have known.

"Anna! You were up here before? Listen, you heard what the doctors said; you really need to rest. I'll come see you in the morning, now get back downstairs. Or do I have to make it a Queenly order?"

Her personal attendant smirked. "I think it's been pretty well established that I'm not so-good at following those. Anyway, we need to talk. So are you going to call the guards...or invite me to sit down?"

The monarch gave a sigh of exasperation. Since she could not very well have her personal attendant forcibly escorted down the stairs without causing a scandal, the best thing Elsa could do was let the redhead off her feet. With a curt nod, the monarch gestured to one of the leather chairs.

Smiling, Anna made her way over to the indicated seat and sat down. The redhead crossed her legs and looked at Elsa expectantly.

"Yes, Anna, I read it," the Queen admitted. "Are you sure that you're alright-"

"I'm fine," Anna interjected. "I mean, not fine fine, but close enough to fine where I can walk around without killing myself. My back still hurts, but nothing compared to what it was yesterday. I've been recovering really fast, and yes I have been resting. This is my first time out of bed; Gerda brought the book here for me."

"Gerda?" Elsa asked.

The redhead nodded. "She knows about us and was happy to do me a favor. I asked her to put it somewhere you'd find it before anyone else did. You know, when she came to visit me. Like Kai did and Drell did. Even Evangeline stopped by, though mostly to answer some questions. But you'd think my girlfriend would have..."

"I did! I came this morning," Elsa protested.

"On business." Anna shrugged in a manner that suggested nonchalance, but her eyes were hard. "And you left as soon as you could. You're avoiding me Elsa...and I know why."

The Queen's eyes widened. "Anna, what are you talking about?" she questioned as her mind whirled. How could Anna have divined the monarch's thoughts so easily?

"I've seen the way you've been looking at me," the redhead replied firmly, as if in answer. "Every time my back gave me pain, there was more than concern on your face. It was guilt. But what really tipped me off was what started all this; you seemed fine right until we deduced why I was being targeted." She paused. "Elsa, we both know I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. But I get bored really easily, and I've been trapped in a bed for over thirty-six hours. So while it did take me a bit to figure out what was wrong with you, I've had a long time to think about it."

Elsa stared at her, failing to form a rebuttal upon her lips.

"You feel responsible," Anna intoned. "You think that it's your fault that some people want me dead, and you blame yourself for me getting hurt. You don't want to see me because it reminds you of the guilt. And Elsa, with all due respect, it's stupid. If there's anything you should feel guilty about, it's not coming to see me this afternoon, but I'll forgive you," she finished, her tone matter-of-fact.

"Anna, I-"

The redhead crossed her arms. "Just...please, don't deny it."

Elsa fought to keep the emotion off of her face. The redhead's eyes were staring into her own, as if they were gazing into the Queen's very soul. The monarch tried to maintain a neutral expression, but she could only keep up her mask a few more seconds before it finally cracked.

"You should be angry with me," the Queen said slowly, now making no effort to keep the pain out of her voice. "You've saved my life twice now, and all I've done in return is made you a target. None of this-" she flung her hand out widely, gesturing towards Anna's back- "Would have happened if I hadn't made you my attendant!"

The redhead gave her a small smile at that. "I was the one who chose to go out on that journey," she reminded the Queen. "I would have been safe and sound if I had just obeyed my mistress and stayed in the Castle. As you told me yesterday, it was an incredibly stupid decision, and I was the one who chose to make it."

Elsa shook her head sadly. "It would just have delayed the inevitable. These people, whoever they are, now want you dead very badly. They would have made their move against you sooner or later, in preparation for another strike against me." She gave a heavy sigh, staring down at the bed sheets. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Anna. I wanted to give you a better life...a home where you could be safe and happy, but all I've done is put you in danger."

Anna was silent for a few moments. "If you hadn't made me your attendant, where would the two of us be now?" she asked quietly.

"I don't-"

"You'd be dead!" Anna interrupted, rising to her feet. "Your body would have burned in the flames of that carriage or been stuck through by an arrow. Rapunzel would have met the same fate. Do you really think that would have been better? For me, or for anyone else?! Arendelle would be heirless. Whoever was behind the attack would have made their move, probably trying to take control of the kingdom. Even if they failed...how many would have been killed in the process? Meanwhile, I'd probably be out on the streets again, if I didn't get killed during in the chaos. I would be cold, hungry, and most importantly...I wouldn't have you."

As the Queen processed this information, part of her mind realizing that the redhead had a point, Anna boldly walked over and sat next to her on the bed. "Elsa, I know it's not an ideal situation," she continued. "But that's not your fault. You've done the best you possibly could have; you can't control everything."

"Maybe," Elsa admitted softly. Anna smiled, wrapping her right arm around the monarch's shoulders and pulling her close. Despite herself, the Queen found her face going red at the skin contact.

"Why did you make me read that book?" Elsa asked again. "It was depressing; I don't understand what it has to do with any of this."

Anna frowned, her eyes dropping to the blankets. "I wanted you to understand. To realize what you did for me. You think that you've put me at risk, but even though I'm a target now...I'm safer than I've ever been."

The Queen's eyes narrowed in curiosity at the implicit comparison. "The girl in that book was a lot younger than you," she pointed out, "And you didn't have to sell matches to stay warm, though I suppose stealing wasn't much better. As hard as your life was, you wouldn't have frozen to death."

"Don't be so sure. I had a good run going, but I wouldn't have been able to keep it up for much longer. Eventually, nobles would have grown more careful with their belongings, and my opportunities to steal would have gotten smaller and smaller. Either I would have been caught and jailed for the rest of my life...or I would have run out of money. Trust me Elsa, begging isn't a stable source of income. Maybe I could've lasted a while longer. Maybe even five or ten years. But assuming I wasn't in prison, I would have starved or frozen to death before I turned thirty."

"But-" Elsa began to protest, but Anna cut her off.

"You know what the saddest part of that story is? The girl could have been saved. Easily. If only one of those passerby had shown her a sliver of kindness. But they didn't. Not one person showed her any pity until it was already too late...until she was already dead. For a while, that was me. No one had enough compassion to toss me more than a few copper coins. That girl's ending was going to be my ending." Anna paused, gazing at Elsa with reverence. "Until someone did show me kindness. Someone who found it in herself to care about me. And the last thing that that someone should be feeling is guilt."

As a rush of affection swept through her, the Queen's arms wrapped and pulled Anna into a full embrace. "You give me too much credit. None of what I've done has cost me anything," Elsa pointed out.

"No," Anna agreed, resting her head on Elsa's shoulder. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be proud of it. So many walked by me in the street, saw me, and didn't do anything. Hell, even when I got adopted I was still thrown out without a second thought. Only you, theoretically the most disconnected person from poverty in Arendelle, saw something in me that was worth saving."

The Queen's heart panged at Anna's words, but her mind noticed an irregularity. She pulled back slightly, just enough to look at Anna face to face. "I thought you said you were never adopted?" Elsa questioned.

A flash of panic streaked across the redhead's face. "Right!" she said quickly. "I mean, no I wasn't adopted. That's what I meant to say."

"Anna-" the Queen intoned.

Her personal attendant gave a huff of frustration, pulling out of the embrace and lying her back flat on the bed. "Fine. I lied. That's the only time I ever lied to you about my past. I was adopted for a few weeks. But it ended once they realized...I mean, even I hadn't really realized yet...once they figured out that I was probably into women. They tossed me out like an unwanted sack of garbage, bringing me back to the orphanage and going on their merry way! ...I never saw them again."

Elsa knew the redhead was telling the truth. The genuine anger and pain in her voice was far beyond Anna's ability to fake. Looking down at the redhead's prone form, she noticed tears glistening in teal eyes.

She didn't tell me because it's too painful for her to think about.

Wordlessly, the monarch reached down and grabbed Anna's arms. She yanked upward, pulling the redhead into another embrace and squeezing as hard as she could.

"Gods...Anna, that's awful. I can't believe someone would be so..." No. No she could. Everyone had heard at least one story of a child being thrown out because they didn't fit their parent's ideals or subscribe to social norms. And as her attendant now cried softly into her shoulder, all Elsa could do was rub small comforting circles into Anna's back.

For a few minutes they simply remained there, holding one another tightly. The Queen couldn't help but think that Anna was prone to crying, but Elsa knew that if she had grown up in the redhead's position she would be far more damaged by the experience than Anna was.

Actually, I'd probably just be dead.

Anna finally pulled back, the tears on her face now drying. "So, you feeling better?" the redhead asked with a small smile.

Well, I guess I'm feeling better about myself. But I feel even worse for you. How can you still be so...pure...after experiencing the worst humanity has to offer? How do you not just hate the world and everyone in it?

"I am, Anna, thank you. I suppose...you're right," the Queen said with difficulty. Even when she was filled with sympathy, it was still hard for Elsa to admit she was wrong. "But that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you."

"No more than I'm worried about you," Anna countered.

"I'm not the one who goes out riding across the country on a fool's errand." The monarch frowned. "Just...we need to be careful, now. Both of us. I'll feel a lot better once we know who's behind this and have them locked up."

Anna nodded. She moved to disentangle from their embrace and get off the bed, but the Queen held fast. The attendant looked at Elsa questionably.

"I'm going back to sleep now. I was wondering if...I mean if you aren't too sore and you want to go to bed...it's a long walk downstairs..." Gods, Anna's rambling was starting to rub off on her now. Why were these relationship matters so difficult for her to deal with after she'd been running a massive kingdom for five years?

"Is my Queen humbly requesting that I sleep with her?" Anna questioned, a flirtatious glint in her eyes.

Elsa nodded softly. "We can say you fell asleep in a chair during a healing session. My maids come in every morning to prep me for the day, but they always knock," she explained. The monarch was well aware that this excuse wouldn't completely fool everyone, but Elsa was ready for this relationship to come out soon. There would be some turmoil; plenty of people like Anna's 'parents' were out there, but in the end there was nothing they would be able to do. The decision of whom she courted was hers to make.

The redhead grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

Yes, there were many out there who wanted them dead. But as Elsa fell asleep in the Royal Suite with Anna wrapped in her arms, she had never felt safer. Suddenly, her room didn't fell too lonely.

\

"I cannot believe the girl survived all that," he muttered.

"It just demonstrates why she needs to be killed; we'll never get to the Queen with her around," his companion replied.

"Patience," a final voice interjected. "We must be careful. Elsa is undoubtedly going to be very cautious for the next few months, and her bitch will doubtless be staying at her side. Worse, she'll be putting nearly all of her resources into finding us...and the others. There is always a chance she will get lucky. Before we make our move, we need to preoccupy her attentions, create something that will occupy her time and focus. Tell me, what do you know of the situation in the south?"

"Our sources say that the dispute is growing more intense by the day. With the right push, it could escalate into open conflict."

"Then perhaps it is time to provide that push. War is always an excellent distraction."


	30. Chapter 30

Anna turned around, carefully positioning her back so that she could face her sleeping Queen without incurring another spasm of pain. Unusually for her, she'd woken up early without being prodded. Her hair was a ragged mess and some of her drool had slightly stained Elsa's sheets, but the redhead couldn't help but lay there and enjoy the moment.

Through the sunlight streaming through that shades, Anna could see that Elsa was lying on her side, her platinum blond hair somehow still nearly perfectly arranged. But what struck Anna most about the monarch's sleeping form was the small, comfortable smile upon her lips. It was a welcome departure from the Queen's usually composed and worry-lined facial expression; for once, Elsa seemed at peace.

It was moments like this that made her think about the future. Their future. How would this relationship end? Would they one day marry, somehow, if the kingdom's nobles tolerated it to the extent that they would not revolt? Would Elsa herself ever agree to take that step? Anna's own desires were not in question. She knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what she wanted her future to be. The redhead had been involved with several women over the past two years, and though she'd genuinely crushed on some of them, none had made her heart move like Elsa did.

The thought suddenly brought a new question to her mind. Anna was getting ahead of herself, as she admittedly often did. Forget marriage, when were the two of them ever going to...do more. Kissing was wonderful, but the redhead hungered to experience her Queen fully. True, this was now the second time they'd shared a bed, but Elsa had never attempted to initiate anything more passionate than a kiss.

Anna herself was ready, of course. Her virginity was long gone, lost in desperate nights of passion within several sub-quality inns. But the last thing she wanted to do was pressure Elsa in a way that would frighten the monarch. The Queen had zero experience with relationships, and as much as she cared for Anna, Elsa probably wanted to take this slow.

Of course, I've never even asked if she wanted to have sex. Hmm. Maybe she doesn't even know what sex is?

The redhead chuckled softly to herself. Elsa had probably had all matters of intimacy explained to her years ago by a private tutor. Although her practical knowledge was doubtlessly lacking, the Queen likely knew the theory behind it.

Although she might not know how it works between two women. I doubt her instructors informed her about that.

Elsa's eyebrows twitched.

"Anna?" she mumbled sleepily. "What...what time is it?" the Queen questioned as her icy blue eyes opened.

The redhead frowned. Now might be as good a time as any. They were alone, in bed, and judging by the position of the sun outside they wouldn't be disturbed for at least another hour.

"It's still early," the redhead answered. "Your maids probably won't be here for a few hours, so I guess we have some time to ourselves." With that, she leaned forward, ensnaring the Queen's lips with her own. The monarch blinked in surprise for a moment, probably still not quite awake, but it wasn't long before she was reciprocating Anna's actions. Gradually, the kiss became hunger; Anna's tongue easily forcing its way into Elsa's mouth.

As the two women battled for dominance, Anna wrapped her arms around the Queen's back, enjoying the feeling of the thin nightgown pressed against the monarch's skin. Using her strength, she effortlessly brought the other woman closer.

For a brief moment, their mouths parted for air. "Anna, your back-" Elsa managed.

"I'm fine," Anna replied as she renewed the kiss. And she was. Her muscles only ached slightly now when she moved. Sometimes, Anna was able to forget that she was even injured. The redhead still didn't understand what Elsa's magic was doing to her, but Anna knew that she liked it.

This time, the Queen was more assertive, forcing her own tongue deep into her attendant's mouth. And as Elsa moaned audibly into the kiss, Anna decided it was time to take it up a notch.

Her arms found their way under Elsa's nightgown, this time directly rubbing against the Queen's bare skin. The monarch's only response was to continue the kiss. Emboldened, Anna wrapped her arms around the Queen's back...her hands getting closer and closer to Elsa's chest. The tips of her fingers brushed against the Queen's bra...

Suddenly, Elsa broke the kiss and pulled back slightly. "Anna, what are you doing?"

"Uhh..."

The Queen frowned, the look in her eyes letting the redhead know that she was aware of exactly Anna had been up to. For a moment, the two women stared at each other awkwardly, their passion melting away into the air.

"Anna-" Elsa began with a sigh.

"I'm sorry!" the redhead blurted out. "I know I shouldn't have tried to push things forward without saying something. I just...I didn't know how to bring it up. Just forget about it," she murmured, her facing burning bright red.

The Queen smiled slightly. "It's fine. You just...caught me by surprise. I do want this, Anna. Eventually. But as much as I love you...I'm not prepared for that yet. I'm sorry, I know this sounds stupid. This is all just so new to me, and when we take that step...and we will, I want to be ready."

Sexual frustration swept through Anna. How are you not ready?! You said you love me, and I know you do. So what's the point in waiting? I know you're not experienced with this kind of thing, but that's not going to change before...! There's nothing to be afraid of. I mean, granted, it can hurt a bit the first time, but it's definitely worth it.

"I understand," Anna muttered, keeping her thoughts to herself for once. Why is she afraid? Unless...unless she's concerned that I-

"Elsa...you should...I need to tell you," Anna forcibly sighed, trying to stop the ramble as the Queen looked at her with concern. "I've had...I'm not a virgin," she finally managed to admit, her blush intensifying with shame. "I'm sorry."

The monarch remained silent for a moment.

"It's not a problem, Anna. Truthfully, I'd be surprised if you were. Your life was a living hell out there, obviously you had to take your enjoyment where you could get it. My advisors might not be so thrilled, but they'll never know. Of course, that would probably be the least of their concerns once you're announced as my consort."

Anna nodded gratefully. "I don't have any infections or anything like that, I was careful-"

The Queen cut her off with a short kiss. "Anna, please, don't worry about it. You were perfectly justified in sleeping with other women before we met." A sultry grin appeared on her lips. "Although, if it ever happens after we met, I might be adding some new ice sculptures to the gardens."

"You certainly don't have to worry about that, my Queen."

For the next hour, the two women laid together. Elsa was sure to take a look at Anna's back, which was indeed recovering remarkably, and insisted on conducting another healing session.

Their peaceful morning came to an end, however, when one of the Queen's maids knocking on the door. Anna swiftly left the bed and adjusted her clothes, allowing Elsa to call the three women in. Each of them looked at the redhead curiously as she greeted them with a friendly hello and then zipped out the door, but none of them dared to say a word.

Does she really need three maids? Anna couldn't help but think as she walked back to her room. I get that she's the Queen and all, but she can make her own dresses, for pity's sake.

\

Anna was beyond grateful to see the next two weeks pass by without incident.

The men sent out to investigate the sites where she had been attacked confirmed her claims, though unfortunately no useful evidence was found. This was enough to silence the Council's skepticism, although Anna had a feeling that many of them still distrusted her.

There were no attacks on either her or Elsa. Although both remained all too aware that their enemies were still out there, they seemed to be biding their time for the moment. The redhead was especially relieved for this to be the case, given that she had spent part of that time still somewhat incapacitated.

Anna's recovery was mostly completed within a week, but despite both her unnatural healing ability and repeated exertions of Elsa's magic, a large patch of distinctive scarring remained. The Queen seemed to flinch every time she looked at it, but Anna was always quick to assure her that she was doing everything she could.

A few days after the redhead had spent the night in Elsa's room, the two women had taken part in a private meeting with Kai and Gerda. Having been in command of the Castle's staff for over two decades, the older couple had become very adept at divining the gossip passed between the servants. And unsurprisingly, one of the main topics was currently the status of Elsa and Anna's relationship.

"They know you favor her, Your Majesty. Frankly, everyone can see that," Kai said. "But following the dances you shared during the last ball, many began to wonder if there was something more than friendship going on between you. It's become an open debate amongst the servants ever since the night Miss Anna fell asleep in your bedroom."

"And apparently, Miss Anna, you have not been overly discreet with your gazes. Many of the maids have whispered to each other that you have been staring at the Queen for...longer than would be appropriate," Gerda added.

Guess I'm not as subtle as I thought I was.

"What's their take on the situation?" Elsa questioned. "Those that have guessed the truth...are they tolerant of my choice?"

Kai frowned. "There are several among the staff who consider such a relationship an abomination, for reasons I am sure you are quite aware of. They are a small but vocal minority. The rest of the staff are...surprised, to say the least, but most appear to be accepting of the situation. Many, I believe, are pleased to see their monarch find value in a commoner much like themselves."

Gerda nodded. "Among the servants, at least, Miss Anna is a popular figure. She is said to be kind to even the lowest of the staff, and stories of her valor in saving your life have spread throughout the Castle. Overall, I believe that although a few of the staff would consider resigning at the news of your...preference, Your Majesty, the vast majority would at least be tolerant of your choice."

It was better news than they had hoped for. The monarch smiled slightly, reaching out and intertwining her fingers with Anna's. Elsa was clearly relieved; the redhead knew that she considered the attitudes of the servants a good indicator of how the general public would react to the situation.

Unfortunately, the true problem had always been with the nobility. Lords and ladies across Arendelle would be stunned by the news of their relationship. At best, they would receive a mixed reaction. The kingdom's aristocrats had multiple reasons to vehemently disapprove of Anna, her status as a woman and her common blood being chief among them.

The personal attendant received her first taste of this two days later, when she was finally judged fit to resume her place at Elsa's side. Her stint in the Queen's bed appeared to have stoked the fire of the rumors to the extent that the gossip had reached the ears of the nobility. Multiple members of the Council were giving her piercing looks, and Kale's gaze had grown even more hostile.

But save for the General, Anna had little idea of how Elsa's advisors would take the news. All experienced members of the aristocracy, they'd had years of practice in concealing their opinions. Would their loyalty to Elsa outweigh their disdain for a commoner?

Other residents and visitors of the Castle were less adept in hiding their emotions. Among the servants, Anna received a few angry glares, but many more members of the staff seemed to be treating her with both increased respect and formality. The former she appreciated, the latter she found annoying. It was almost as if some now considered her a member of the nobility.

Of course, if they were right (and they were,) then Anna had both the ear and the affection of the Queen...which granted her a rather significant influence over some affairs. She supposed that she couldn't blame them from being intimidated by that prospect. And Anna knew that if she and Elsa were ever to marry, she would suddenly become one of the most powerful individuals in the kingdom.

As much as I'd love to marry her...I don't think I'm ready for that. I don't think I could ever be ready.

The reception among the rest of the aristocracy present in the Castle, as well as most of its higher officials, was decidedly less welcome. More than once, Anna saw groups of high society members out of the corner of her high whispering to themselves and pointing in her direction. The disdain she typically received from much of the nobility was still present, but now it was often accompanied by blatant curiosity. It was if their eyes were asking: This is whom our Queen is infatuated with?

Regardless, Anna could live with it. After spending years on the streets, she'd long grown accustomed to less-than respectful gazes. At least now the redhead could weather their glares with a full stomach.

To her dismay, she and Elsa did not share a bed again following the single night Anna had spent in the monarch's room. Despite the blunder the redhead had committed that morning, their relationship remained as strong as ever; the Queen continued to enjoy 'tutoring' her in chess and even saw fit to take her ice-skating once her back had healed.

But all of Anna's confidence had melted away. She didn't dare propose spending another night together, and Elsa did not ask. As much as Anna had enjoyed laying in the monarch's arms, the last thing she wanted was to make Elsa uncomfortable a second time. Given her inexperience with relationships, it was all too likely that the Queen would retreat further back into her comfort zone if pressured again. As frustrating as it was, the redhead bit her tongue and decided to leave the decision of when to take the next step in their romance firmly in Elsa's hands.

As the days went by, more and more of the Queen's time was spent on organizing her birthday celebrations. Anna knew that the preparations aggravated Elsa to no end; there were far more important things the monarch could be spending her time on. The investigation into the conspiracy surrounding them continued to go nowhere. Meanwhile, a letter bearing the Coronan Royal Seal arrived four days prior to the ball. And the news was not pleasant.

According to Elsa's uncle, two of Corona's neighbors on the southern continent were becoming embroiled in a major dispute.

Lucrania and Albion were located to the west and south of Corona, respectively. The two each nations shared an extensive land border both with Corona and each other, but neither had been involved in a serious military conflict for centuries. Albion was staunchly isolationist, having gone to great lengths to avoid foreign entanglements of any kind. Lucrania, on the other hand, was more open to trade and alliances, but it too enjoyed peace.

In recent months, however, relationships between the two nations had plummeted.

Albion's government was desperate for resources. Out of necessity, agriculture was the only product that it consented to import from other nations, as its domestic farming industry was only large enough to feed half of the country's people on its own. Ordinarily, roughly forty to fifty percent of its wheat was imported. However, several consecutive years of poor harvests had forced the country to steadily increase its reliance on foreign sources of food. With its treasury slowly but surely shrinking to pay for these expenditures, the country's monarch was eager for a new source of revenue.

Lucrania was a different story. The country as a whole remained relatively prosperous. But its monarchy, on the other hand, was not so fortunate. Religious and cultural divides were sweeping through the nation, setting once allied noble families firmly against each other. For decades, the previous King had done little to curb the influence of the aristocracy, and over the years the monarchy had steadily lost influence over significant swathes of the country. Now, its young ruler was struggling to keep order over the nobility, but his weakened position made this task nearly impossible.

A year ago, travelers near the border of the two nations had made a remarkable discovery. A large series of copper veins, previously undiscovered within a particularly hilly section of the countryside, had been unearthed. The ore deposits presented a tremendous opportunity for both rulers. Albion's government could use the mineral to heal its treasury and continue its purchases of foreign wheat. The King of Lucrania wished to use the revenue to increase the power of the monarchy and perhaps bribe some of the aristocracy to heel.

The dilemma was obvious. Given the location's previous lack of importance, the border in the area had never been conclusively identified. Predictably, both countries were now claiming the territory and the copper veins it contained. Negotiations had been fruitless thus far, and some were predicting that war was on the horizon.

That eventuality was still far from certain. Elsa's uncle continued to hold out hope that a reasonable division of the mineral would be agreed upon, given the peaceful history of both countries. Nevertheless, the situation was worrying. Albion and Lucrania were two of the more powerful nations on the Southern continent. Together, their military might surpassed that of Corona and rivaled that of Arendelle (sans Elsa.) A war between the two would be protracted and bloody; millions could potentially perish. The international economy would take a severe hit; Corona would be one of the most affected.

With the (unnecessary, but welcome) approval of her Council, the Queen had written back to her Uncle almost immediately. In no uncertain terms, Elsa had made it clear that Corona had Arendelle's unwavering support. Whether he required diplomatic backing, economic aid should a conflict break out, or even military assistance, Corona's sister nation would be willing to provide.

For now, all they could do was wait and see how the situation developed.

\

Anna was doomed.

The first two hours of Elsa's ball had gone smoothly enough. This time, the Queen actually remembered to give Anna an invitation, and the nobles had at least grown accustomed (to say accepting would be a stretch) enough to her presence for no one to suggest calling the guards to escort her out. And although Elsa was once again beset by a mob of admirers eager to spend time with the monarch, she made certain to dance with Anna more than once.

Unfortunately, Anna had eventually grown bored enough to start looking around. It wasn't long before she came to an isolated corner of the massive room. Thin lines of rope separated a small section of the corner from the rest of the ballroom; inside the enclosure sat several stacks of boxes. Strangely, they were all different shapes and sizes. Each was wrapped in what appeared to be colored paper. Many of the boxes were even adorned with bows.

The redhead's eyes scanned the room. She soon found who she was looking for.

"Kai?" Anna prompted. The head of the Castle's staff, busy supervising the dozens of servants maintaining the party, turned to Anna and smiled warmly at her.

"Yes, Miss Anna?"

"I was just wondering..." she began, biting her lip. "What are those boxes for, the ones in the corner over there?"

The butler frowned. "Those are the presents, of course." His voice was not condescending, but Kai was clearly surprised that the question had been asked. Apparently, the answer had been obvious.

"Presents?" It was a word she was only vaguely familiar with. According to her fuzzy memory, it was a synonym of gift, or something that was given for free out of nothing but goodwill.

"What are they for?" Anna questioned.

A look of incredulity briefly passed through the man's face, as if he was having trouble deciding whether she was joking. The earnest look on her face, however, apparently convinced him otherwise.

"For the Queen," he explained. "During one's birthday celebrations, it is customary to give a gift to that person in celebration of the event, is it not?"

"It is?" she asked. Kai nodded.

The color drained out of her face so quickly that Anna could have passed for a ghost.

\

Her personal attendant had disappeared.

As the party was winding down and many of the guests had started to leave, the Queen sought Anna for one final dance before the musicians stopped playing. But the redhead was nowhere to be found throughout the ballroom.

Elsa frowned. Although still clearly not a favorite of the nobility, Anna had seemed to be enjoying herself, and it wasn't like her to run off. A quick conversation with Gerda, however, confirmed this to be the case; the servant had seen Anna leaving the ballroom in quite a hurry.

The ball could not end fast enough. As soon as the music stopped, the Queen made a quick speech thanking the guests for coming and biding them well. She excused herself with her customary grace, but once she was free of the ballroom she was immediately speed walking up to Anna's rooms.

What could have made her run like that? Was she insulted...or threatened? No, she would have told me. But then what...

By the time she was walking through the upper wing, Elsa could already hear the sounds of panicked rummaging. "There's nothing here!" Anna's voice bemoaned loudly. "I mean, all this stuff is really nice, but these are all things she gave me!"

Elsa didn't bother with knocking. She threw open Anna's door without saying a word.

The scene that greeted her was typical Anna-chaos. Clothes, books, and armor were strewn throughout the room; all of Anna's possessions were scattered throughout the floor and on her bed. The personal attendant herself was facing the window and shaking her hands in frustration, but at the sound of the door opening she whirled around to face Elsa. A look of horror was etched on her face.

"Are you alright, Anna?" the Queen asked quickly.

"Uh...yeah!" the redhead replied, her expression morphing into a painfully forced smile. "Just...taking inventory, you know. Nothing to worry about."

Elsa wasn't buying it for a second. "Anna, I don't like it when you lie," she said firmly. "You left the ball so quickly I didn't even see you go, and I don't think that urgency was brought about by a need to 'take inventory'. What happened? And why are you going through all of your things? Did you lose something important?" the monarch theorized.

Anna's face fell with resignation. "No. Well, sort of. I...well I wasn't aware, I'm sorry I..." the redhead sighed. "I didn't get you anything. For your birthday, I mean. I didn't know I was supposed to until I saw all those presents and asked Kai about them. And now it looks like I'm the only guest who didn't-"

She was cut off as Elsa darted forward and entrapped her mouth in a kiss. Anna gave a start of surprise as their lips met. Within a few seconds, however, the redhead was leaning in, allowing the monarch to gently wipe off a stray tear from her cheek.

If she isn't between a three and a seven on the emotional scale, she's crying, Elsa thought. A guilty part of her mind couldn't help but note that it was sometimes adorable.

"Anna," the Queen said slowly, breaking off the kiss. "Those presents in there mean nothing. I'm sure that some of them are nice enough, but at the end of the day there's nothing they could have given me that I couldn't have already bought myself if I'd wanted to. The truth is...as Queen of Arendelle, nothing anyone gives me of material value can make a difference in my life. Besides, most of them are just bribes to try and get in my good graces. Every year since my parents died, I've simply had the servants go through what I've received and then given it away."

The girl in her arms frowned. "Oh..."

Elsa smiled. "Anna, I'm tired," she said with a yawn. "So please don't make me go into a long speech about how your love is the best gift of all, and just kiss me again."

For a moment, Anna simply stared at her. Then, with a grin, she leaned down to Elsa's neck and slowly started kissing up the skin. As the ministrations continued, the Queen quickly realized she'd have to heal the love-bites on her neck before she left the room.

\

After fifteen minutes of intermittent kissing and hugging between the two women, it was a struggle for Anna not to tackle her girlfriend to the ground and start ravishing her. As frustrating as it was, the redhead constrained herself to the Queen's mouth and neck.

She has no idea what she does to me.

"Anna?" Elsa murmured.

"Hmm?" she mumbled in response, currently in the process of giving the monarch a large hickey.

"When is your birthday?"

The monarch didn't know it, but she had instantly killed the mood. Reluctantly, Anna moved back from her Queen and lifted her face to meet Elsa's eyes. "I don't know," she admitted. "My parents, whoever they were...they dropped me off at the orphanage after I was born. So while I have a pretty good idea of how old I am, I don't know for sure."

"But when do you celebrate it?"

Anna frowned. "I don't. We didn't usually do that sort of thing where I grew up. I never really bothered to pick a date. Since I was brought to the orphanage in spring, I usually up my age a few months before summer, but there's no exact date."

"...Oh," the Queen replied.

An awkward silence passed between them.

"Well, I should be getting into bed," Elsa said. "Long day tomorrow- I'll see you in the morning." The Queen leaned forward, placed another quick kiss on Anna's lips, then turned and left the room.

\

It happened three days later.

"Miss Anna! Miss Anna!" a familiar voice called outside her door. Scowling at being awoken from her sleep, Anna roughly shoved the blankets off her body and struggled to shake the fatigue from her eyes.

"Yes?" she called back, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Her Majesty needs to see you as soon as possible," a girl Anna now recognized as Kayla replied.

The redhead hopped out of bed. "Tell her I'll be there in fifteen minutes!" she replied, hoping it was nothing overly serious. "Where is she?" Anna added as she raced for the bathroom and turned on the water.

"Her dining room."

\

As soon as she was cleaned and dressed, Anna raced out of her room and hurried downstairs. What could have made the monarch call her so early? Had bad news come from Corona? Had they finally learned something about these attacks? The personal attendant's mind was moving as fast as her legs.

Taking a deep breath, Anna reached the doors to the dining room and flung them open.

What. The. Hell?

The Queen was sitting at the head of the table, a broad smile plastered on her face. But for once, Anna's gaze was drawn to something other than Elsa. Stretched high over the table was a banner connected to both sides of the room.

Happy Birthday Anna was written across it in large, blue letters. But even it paled in comparison to what sat in the center of the table. A massive chocolate cake awaited her, roughly two feet tall and coasted in dark frosting. To the side of the table was a stack of three large boxes, each covered in red wrapping paper and topped off with a large blue bow.

"What...what is all this?" Anna breathed.

Elsa smiled, sitting up from her chair. "Since you didn't know when your birthday is, I figured I'd pick a date for you. Right after mine seemed pretty convenient. Since you've never had a party before, it was up to me to fix..."

The monarch broke off her words as Anna charged forward. She ran down the length of the table as fast as she could, opening her arms and taking Elsa into a warm embrace. The Queen barely had time to react before Anna claimed her lips in an ecstatic kiss.

Strangely, Elsa didn't reciprocate, probably due to her surprise. Anna pulled back from the dumbfounded monarch and grinned. "Elsa, this is amazing!" she squealed. "The gifts, the cake, wow! Oh gods, Elsa you're the best! Come-on, let's go eat that cake, even though I doubt that even I will be able to finish it!"

The Queen didn't smile back. Instead, her expression morphed from shock to horror.

"Anna-" Elsa gestured to the back of the room. The redhead shifted her gaze to where the monarch pointed.

"What is...?"

Oh, gods...

On either side of the door Anna had entered through was a Castle servant. With her vision having tunneled onto the banner and the cake, she hadn't seen them before running towards the monarch. In her haste, she'd forgotten how this room was always staffed during meals in case the monarch required something; apparently the same was going to be true for this small party.

The redhead didn't recognize either of them, one a woman in her mid-twenties and the other a man in his forties. Both of their mouths were agape as they stared at the couple with blatant shock.


	31. Chapter 31

Elsa kept her face stoic as she walked down the length of the table. None of the Council appeared overly anxious, which hopefully meant that none of them had heard the news. Breathing an inward sigh of relief, the Queen made her way to the end of the table and sat down, gesturing for her advisors to do the same.

It had been two hours since the incident in the dining room. The monarch had been utterly shocked at Anna's mistake, but it hadn't taken long for her brain to spring into action. What was done was done, and bemoaning her attendant's error wouldn't solve anything. After quietly ordering Anna to be silent, Elsa had turned and addressed the two servants.

"I understand that what you just witnessed likely surprised you. But under no uncertain terms, as your Queen I command you to keep this discovery to yourselves," she had said, fixing them with a firm glare. "I assure you that I understand that this situation is no fault of yours; you will face no consequences as long as you keep silent. But if not, you will be unemployed before the sun has set. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they said in unison, clearly doing their best to recover from their shock.

Even still, the damage had been done. The Queen was relatively confident that the news of their relationship would remain contained for a bit longer. But despite the fear she had instilled in the two servants, both knew that any punishment they faced would not exceed the loss of their jobs. Cultivating a benevolent reputation had its advantages, but in this case it was proving a liability.

It was likely that the information would spread. Perhaps not today, or tomorrow, or even for the rest of the week. But eventually, one of the servants would be unable to contain themselves and reveal what they had just seen to a trusted confidant. The process would repeat itself until the knowledge spread like wildfire among the staff, and eventually even the nobility would hear of it.

Her gambit was over. She'd wanted to wait a while longer, maybe a month or two, but that plan had gone to hell. The revelation of her relationship would doubtlessly cause a hostile reaction from some, but her position would be even more undermined if the nobles definitively learned of it from someone other than herself. It would make Elsa look weak, unable to conceal her secrets and powerless to stop the rumors. No, she could not afford to give the appearance of her hand being forced.

She had to tell the Council. And she had to do it alone.

"Let me come with you!" Anna had protested.

Elsa shook her head. "No, Anna. Some of them are going to be vicious, and if they insult you while you're present, it's going to cloud my judgment. I need to keep a clear head, and the only way I can do that is if you're waiting upstairs."

"I can handle myself!"

"I know. But so can I. If they slander you to your face, I might lose control. I'll be fine; I've been dealing with these clowns for years. Just go wait in your room and I'll come find you when it's over. I love you Anna, but this is an order."

Scowling, the redhead placed an angry kiss on Elsa's lips before making her way towards the stairs.

The Queen sighed. Deep down, she knew that her words had not been entirely truthful. She was afraid that potential vitriol towards Anna could cause her to lose control. But perhaps an even larger danger was the redhead herself lashing out. Compared to Elsa, Anna was just as defensive and far more rash. The Queen wasn't certain whether the Council's loyalty to their monarch would outweigh their prejudices, but Elsa knew there was every chance that she herself would receive some harsh criticism. Having a fiery, super-strong redhead beside her when that happened was perhaps not the smartest idea.

The monarch surveyed the room. All of the Council was in attendance, including Lord Liddel, who had temporarily assumed his deceased daughter's position as representative of his house while he and his wife decided which of their remaining children was best suited to take on the seat permanently. All of them probably believed that this was merely one of their typical scheduled weekly meetings, though some were likely wondering where the Queen's personal attendant had gone off to.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Allow me to address the two questions that are almost certainly on all of your minds. As of yet, we have not discovered anything leading to those behind the attempts on my life, unless one of you has something you've neglected to report...?" As her advisors continued to look upon her in silence, she continued, "I have also not yet received a reply from my uncle, King Marcus of Corona, and can only assume that the situation on the Southern Continent is still developing."

She sighed, taking in a deep breath. This was it, the moment Elsa had been both dreading and anticipating for months. Her Council and her people would finally learn that they would never have a King in her lifetime. She and Anna would be denounced by several minority religions. Elsa was confident there would be nothing approaching a revolt, but she was certain there would be a sizable backlash amongst both the populace and the aristocracy.

And yet, it would be a relief. Finally, they could stop concealing who they were and what they meant to each other. No longer would they have to worry about remaining strictly professional in public, carefully and slowly feeding the spread of the rumors around them.

For better or worse, it was time.

"Before I address any concerns you might have, there is a small matter I would like to clear up," she began. Instantly, several faces displayed a brief flash of curiosity before returning to their normal composed expressions. "I have recently become aware of rumors circulating in the Castle that concern myself and my personal attendant. Many have come to suspect that we are involved in a romantic relationship, and therefore that my affections lie with women rather than men. And I would like to take this opportunity to assure you...that the rumors are true."

The room went deathly silent. And for the first time in five years, the aristocratic mask of every single Council member failed simultaneously. The emotions displayed ranged from shock, to horror, to satisfaction (from Evangeline), but save for the spymaster there was not a single person in the room who wasn't astonished.

A strangled cough from Lady Katherine was the first sound to break the silence. "Your Majesty-" the noblewoman finally managed. "You mean to tell us that you have chosen a...a commoner as your consort?"

Lord Arald cleared his throat. He was a portly, balding man, but despite being nearly sixty, he had never come across as one of her more conservative advisors. "Katherine, while I admit that I am...surprised, I believe that our monarch is entitled to choose whomever she wishes as her partner. And for her part, Miss Anna has proven herself as..."

The table radiated with a loud thump as Lord Liddel banged his fist against the wood. "Entitled. No woman is entitled to lie with another of her sex. It is an abomination...an insult to the gods! If you persist with this choice, Your Majesty, Arendelle will be both heirless and cursed!"

"Your gods are not our gods," Lord Vance cut in. "And while I myself harbor reservations about Her Majesty's decision, our reasoning should not come from your church's outdated doctrines."

Liddel opened his mouth to argue, but Kale beat him to it. "Forget the gods. Your Majesty, think of the opportunities you are throwing away! There are wealthy and powerful men across the world who would be eager to accept your hand. There a thousand individuals out there who offer more benefits than young Miss Anna. As you are well aware, she holds no titles, lands, influence, wealth or status! Her abilities in combat are indeed useful, but those are already at your disposal!"

"But I-"

"Your Majesty, please consider the-"

"The gods will-"

Elsa breathed deeply. "Enough!" she shouted, the rare instance of the monarch raising her voice shocking all into silence. "I am the Queen of Arendelle. And I am the only person who will decide who is and who is not worthy to be my consort. I will not tolerate homophobia, and anyone on this Council who expresses that opinion shall be suspended immediately. Do I make myself clear?" the monarch demanded, glaring at Liddel. The lord met her gaze defiantly, but did not say a word.

"Arendelle already has an heir," she continued, now focusing her gaze on Kale. "My relatives in Corona ensure that my line is secure. For five years I have ruled this country alone, and I have kept it peaceful and prosperous. I do not want a King. I do not need a King. You suggest that I prostitute myself, and that is an insult I will not forget easily. Perhaps there are some men who could offer me a slight gain in wealth or influence, but I would trade that away a thousand times in exchange for having someone I trust at my side."

Her head swiveled to face Katherine. "Yes, in terms of blood, Anna is indeed a commoner. And though I am well aware that the notion of your monarch being attached to a peasant horrifies several of you, I do not give a damn," she hissed, the unprecedented profanity causing more than one Council member to gasp. "In a matter of months she has proven herself worthy a dozen times over. Perhaps I do not have evidence of Anna's past save her own words, but I believe that throwing herself in front of an arrow meant for me is enough to prove her loyalty. My decision is final, and I suggest that you all make peace with it."

The Council stared at her. Elsa had always demonstrated her resolve to her advisers, but never had she exhibited such blatant anger. Still, if that was what was needed to remind them of who was in charge, so be it.

"Now, if we could..."

"No!" Liddel cried. "In the name of the gods, I cannot accept this. You are indeed our Queen, but even an earthly monarch has lords who she must answer to. If you do not repent and rectify your mistake, Arendelle will burn for your sins. The gods..."

Elsa's finger twitched. Instantly, a thin layer of ice appeared on the nobleman's lips, sealing them shut. He stood up violently, but the only sound that escaped from his mouth was a low groan.

"You were warned," the Queen hissed. "As of this moment, the House of Liddel has lost its seat on my Council. You are free to pray to your gods and believe whatever ridiculous notions you wish, but you will do so out of my sight. Kindly remove yourself from my Palace; you are no longer welcome. In a year's time, your family will be considered for reinstatement following either your announcement of a public apology or your removal from the position of Head of your house, but you yourself are forever banished from this Council." With another flick of her finger, the ice vanished.

"You ungrateful bitch!" he immediately bellowed." As one, the entire Council stared at him in horror. "How dare you use your magic to attack a nobleman?! And how dare you banish me?! My family has been on this Council for generations; we have served both you and your parents with honor. And now you presume to-"

Another twitch of her finger shut him up. "As you appear to have once again forgotten, I am your Queen, and from the lowest peasant to the highest noble I am at complete liberty to punish all- however I wish. You may consider yourself fortunate to have not been turned into a frozen statue. I respect this Council," she swept a lightly approving gaze around the rest of the room. "In return for the opportunity to have my ear, you put your knowledge and experience at my disposal, and I value advice and well-intentioned criticism. But I will not tolerate such flagrant disrespect. Never forget that one's position at this table is a privilege, not a right. I hold no resentment for the rest of your family, but your House is now suspended indefinitely." It pained her to do this, knowing how well Vlora had served over the years, but Elsa had to demonstrate her authority. Perhaps if the man in front of her stepped down or was disowned, she would reconsider. But not before.

Liddel stared at her with pure rage, but apparently even he would not dare to express that anger physically. Perhaps because she was his monarch, or perhaps because she could kill him in an instant.

She twirled her wrist slightly; two ice-soldiers materialized out of thin air. "My creations will escort you out of this Castle. Keep your head down and stay out of my way, and I will be merciful and not punish you further. But if you dare to undermine my reign, if you so much as attempt to sabotage a trade agreement, I will have you banished from this kingdom. And if your family willingly joins you in this endeavor, your Manor in the city below will be confiscated by the Crown, and they will accompany you into exile."

As the nobleman was escorted out of the meeting room, the remainder of her advisors gazed at the Queen in astonishment. She could see it in their eyes, the surprise that she had actually evicted a family from their ranks. In some pupils, Elsa could even perceive fear.

Good.

"Your Majesty," Lord Arald began as the doors closed behind Liddel. "I wish to make it clear that I fully support your decision. But this incident does raise a troubling implication. I would not dream of suggesting that you rescind your choice of consort, but it is almost certain that a minority in Arendelle, small but vocal, will share Liddel's opinions. We must be prepared."

Elsa nodded at the balding man, knowing he meant no offense. "I agree. But I fear there is little we can do. Churches will express their anger, and if they do so peacefully, I will permit it. Already, some denounce me because of my magic. Of the half a million people in this city, perhaps fifteen hundred despise me due to their religions. I suspect that many of those who will hate me for my choice in partner already fall among that number. In the end, despite the devotion they profess, they will value their livelihoods of their beliefs. Few would join a pointless rebellion against me when they know it would accomplish nothing but their own destruction. Maybe a thousand will leave the country, and if that is their decision, I will bid them good riddance."

"I would still recommend placing the city guard on heightened alert for the next week," Evangeline suggested. "Have them keep an eye on the churches known to rail against homosexuality. If they protest peacefully, leave them untouched. But if they partake in violence, demonstrate that their actions will not be tolerated."

The Queen nodded. "Tomorrow, I will call a meeting of the city guard captains and have the situation explained to them."

"When do you plan to announce your...decision?" Vance questioned.

Elsa gave him a slight shrug. "Why announce it at all? Anna and I are simply courting, there has been no discussion of marriage. A royal proclamation need not be made at this stage. Regardless, the servants shall be made aware shortly, and after that I suspect it shall take less than a day for the news to spread throughout the city. Within a month the entire kingdom will no doubt be informed." And I'm sure I can count on the lot of you to ensure the entire aristocracy is made aware of my choice.

Vance nodded, and with that the meeting finally turned to less stressful and divisive matters. Such as the low but worrying possibility of war on the Southern Continent.

\

Anna continued to lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling in frustration. Her three gifts, still wrapped, sat beside her bed, but the redhead simply did not have the heart to open them.

She was all too aware that this situation was entirely her fault. And although Elsa had tried to assure her that it was not a huge deal, Anna knew that her actions were now creating difficulties for the Queen. It would have been far preferable to wait until the people of Arendelle had more time to come to turns with their monarch's proclivities, or even until the conspirators had been discovered and rooted out. At a time when both of their lives were still certainly at risk, the last thing they needed was a distraction.

But Elsa had tried to do yet another nice thing for her, and Anna had repaid the Queen's gesture by exposing their secret. True, the net effect of her actions on Elsa's life was still positive, but it didn't change the fact that Anna had just made a costly and easily-avoidable mistake.

Creak. Anna bolted upright as the door opened, admitting the monarch of Arendelle.

"Elsa! Are you alright? Were they mad, well of course at least some of them were, but how many? What did they say? Gods, I'm so sorry for all of this..."

"It's fine, Anna," the Queen interrupted.

The redhead frowned. "Fine? Really?" she questioned. "So none of them were upset?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, several of them were. Lord Liddel apparently goes to the same church as your would-be parents; he was by far the angriest. When he refused to put his opinions aside, I suspended him and his family from the Council indefinitely. The rest of my advisors dropped the subject after that. I won't lie to you, many of them still disapprove, but not to the extent that they will challenge me."

Anna's eyes widened. "You actually kicked someone off the Council?! Just to be with me?"

"Yes, I-" the Queen broke off as Anna leapt off the bed and took her into an embrace. Even though it shouldn't have surprised her by this point, Anna couldn't help but be touched by the monarch's actions. Plus, the idea of Elsa flaunting her authority and asserting her will over the most powerful men and women in Arendelle was...kinda hot.

For the next few minutes, Anna grilled the Queen for details, and the monarch dutifully complied. As much as she had hated it, the redhead soon realized that it was fortunate that she herself had not attended the meeting. If she had, the Castle might very well now be anticipating its second Honor Duel of the season.

"So, what do we do now?" Anna asked once Elsa had finished her recounting of the event.

The Queen gave her a soft smile. "We stop hiding. I would have liked to wait, but what is done is done. Now, at least, we don't have to conceal our relationship in public. Before the night is up, the entire Castle will know you are my consort; there is no point in continuing to pretend otherwise," she paused, her tone growing darker. "I have to warn you, Anna. I'm sure you have gotten a taste of this already, but now it will become far more apparent. Nearly everyone will be treating you differently. Some of it you may welcome; many will be sure to be respectful towards you. But much of it will be aggravating. You will experience both scorn and jealousy, especially from the nobles. Most will not confront you openly thanks to your connection to me, but they will find ways to make their anger known."

The redhead nodded. "It's nothing I'm not used to. I'm more worried about how this is going to affect you."

Elsa sighed. "If the people of Arendelle can accept that their monarch has ice magic, then they can accept that she chooses to love a commoner woman. Some will be angry, of course, and over the next month they will make their anger known, but eventually most will quiet down. And life will go on."

The personal attendant glanced down at her gifts. "Should I open these now?" Anna asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Elsa grinned, clearly happy to change the subject. "Of course. This one first."

Anna eagerly ripped the paper off of the box Elsa handed to her. Taking off the lid, she came face to face with a large red-brown belt. On each side of it were five slanted sheathes built into the leather; each contained a small knife with a silver hilt.

"Finest throwing knives available," the Queen said proudly as Anna examined one of the daggers. "It should give you an edge if we're ever attacked again. Here! This one goes with it."

Wordlessly, Anna accepted the second box, this one thinner and longer than the previous one. She tore off the packaging, revealing...

"Elsa, what...what is this?" Anna breathed.

Beneath her was a hand-and-a half longsword; it was similar to her current weapon, but something seemed...off about it. The blade was a beautiful but unnatural shade of light blue. And as Anna's hand instinctively reached out to touch it, the redhead discovered that it was emitting a chill so profound that it was painful to touch.

The hilt and cross-guard were made of natural metal, but that did not make them any less remarkable. Though clearly not made of true gold, the steel that composed them was the same golden color as the crocus flower that served as Arendelle's symbol. Even more impressively, the guard was shaped after the three-tipped flower; with the main prong running up alongside the first few inches of the blade and the two others each branching out to a side, modeled to offer more than adequate protection for her hands.

"As the best warrior in Arendelle, I thought you deserved the best weapon. The sword you now carry is passable, but it's nothing compared to this. I had the hilt and guard forged by the most experienced blacksmith in the city, and made out of the highest quality steel that could be purchased. The blade itself..."

"It's ice," Anna breathed. "But how did you...?"

"My creations never melt if I do not wish them to. It took me a few hours, but I managed to mold it into the perfect shape and make it harder than steel. It's sharp enough to cut through almost anything, and thanks to its temperature, even the slightest wound it inflicts on an assailant will be crippling. I couldn't make it cold enough to freeze steel, not without giving your hands frostbite, but it's still an advantage," Elsa explained.

"No kidding." At a nod from the Queen, Anna took the hilt into her hands and lifted the weapon out of the box. Taking a few steps back, she made a few experimental swings. Anna had never had a problem with her previous sword's weight and balance, but this weapon was different. Even with her still-increasing strength, she could tell that this weapon was considerably lighter. It's balance was pitch perfect.

Unable to resist, the redhead directed her last swing at the stone wall. True to Elsa's word, the ice didn't crack in the slightest.

"Elsa, this is amazing. I've never seen...how much did this cost? The blade was free, obviously, but the steel in this hilt...and it couldn't have been easy to fuse the ice and metal together," Anna noted.

The Queen smiled. "It wasn't cheap, but the Royal family's personal fault is still standing. Not that I wouldn't have emptied it if it meant increasing your protection...mmph!" She stopped as Anna leapt forward, holding her new blade safely out to the side, and brought the monarch in for a kiss.

Secretly, the redhead was a bit saddened by the gifts she had received. It was not Elsa's fault, these were undoubtedly the most useful things the Queen could have given her. But they were a reminder that she was a warrior now, a trained killer. Although Anna would have traded her innocence a thousand times in exchange for her new life, it was still a bit jarring for her first birthday presents to be instruments of death...and to know that she would probably need them one day.

"You haven't even seen your last present yet," Elsa murmured once Anna pulled back.

The redhead frowned. "This doesn't seem fair. I didn't even get you anything for your birthday, and you're just spoiling me rotten. Not that I don't appreciate it, because I do. A lot! I just wish..."

"Anna, you threw yourself in front of an arrow for me," the Queen said dryly. "I think that was a wonderful early birthday present. Besides, you've never even had a birthday before, so consider this nineteen years' worth of gifts. Now come on, open the last one." Grinning, Elsa reached down and plucked the final box, by far the smallest of the three, and handed it to her attendant.

Excitedly, Anna ripped off the wrapping paper and opened the box.

Her jaw dropped. "No, Elsa..." she started, staring down at the contents. "It's too much..."

The monarch smirked. "Anna, you nearly gave your life for me, twice, and you only have one of those. So I think you're more than justified in letting your super-rich girlfriend spend some of her money on you when she still has plenty more."

It was the most exquisite piece of jewelry that Anna had ever seen. The small cushioned box in her hands contained a necklace. Its white gold chain looked stunning on its own, but what really caught her eye was the pendant, a six-pointed snowflake roughly an inch in diameter. It was made entirely of diamond that was colored almost the exact same shade of blue as Elsa's eyes.

The Queen flashed her a smile before picking it up. Wordlessly, Anna turned around and lowered her head, allowing the monarch to clasp the piece of jewelry around her neck. Walking forward, she took a moment to admire herself in the mirror before turning to face her Queen.

Anna could only manage three words. "I love you," she whispered.

"And I you, dearest Anna. Now, I would very much like to retire to my chambers after such a stressful day...and I was hoping my consort would consider joining me," the Queen replied. Elsa's face burned a deep red, but she continued. "We don't need to hide this from the servants any longer; we might as well confirm it for them. Besides...I like holding you in my arms."

You are such a dork, Anna thought affectionately. You face down your Council without flinching, but when you ask me to sleep with you, even when you know I'll say yes...you're almost as awkward as I am.

"I suppose I'll consider it, given that it is a request from my Queen," Anna replied with a smirk.

Even though I'll barely be able to keep my hands to myself. Gods, this won't be easy.

\

"You asked for us?" Rapunzel said as she walked into her father's study with Eugene at her side.

The King nodded. And clearly, they weren't the only ones he'd sent for. Sitting at his right was Lenore, Rapunzel's mother and Corona's Queen. In another chair facing their parents was her brother Thomas, his pitch black hair glinting in the sunlight.

"This doesn't look good," Eugene muttered.

The Princess couldn't help but agree. Her parents, normally so optimistic and cheerful, each sported a serious and saddened expression. When Thomas turned back in his chair to greet them, Rapunzel could tell that he was both sullen and deep in thought.

Her father sighed. "We've received reports that Albion is mobilizing its armies. I had truly believed it wouldn't come to this, but it seems that King Xander is going to try and seize the disputed territory by force. If events are allowed to proceed, Lucrania will almost certainly assemble its own armies...war will be upon us."

Rapunzel's heart plummeted. If a conflict truly broke out, millions could perish. Her own people would scrape by, but the economy of Corona would potentially be crippled by an extended war.

"We have to do something!" she exclaimed. "Surely we can work out a settlement. We have to."

The King nodded. "We are. I have already sent out messengers both to King Xander and King David. In two weeks time, Corona will be hosting a peace conference. Tonight, I will be dispatching a letter to Queen Elsa asking her to attend. Perhaps with our combined diplomatic and economic weight, Arendelle and Corona can help in establishing an agreement suitable for both parties."

Thomas frowned. "Albion, at least, already seems set on war. What makes you think both of them will agree to even come to the table?"

"There remain significant elements in both countries vehemently devoted to peace," Marcus explained. "Neither Xander nor David can well afford an outcropping of rage amongst their people. If for nothing else but to save face, they will attend our conference. I have informed each group of messengers to ensure that news of our invitations reaches enough ears for the knowledge to spread amongst the people. Before they go to war, both Kings will need to demonstrate that it was the final alternative; they cannot afford for it be known that they ignored our offer."

Rapunzel wordlessly reached for her husband's hand. "I hope you're right, father," she said as Eugene squeezed her fingers firmly. For if he was wrong, if Arendelle and Corona could not broker a settlement...the consequences were unthinkable.


	32. Chapter 32

She awoke to a cold wind brushing across her cheeks.

Anna's eyes snapped open as another gust of air rushed through the open crack in Elsa's bedroom window. From the dim light provided by the moon, she could tell that Arendelle was still deep within the night. But despite the fact that Anna was currently located in the Queen's bed hours before dawn, the monarch herself was nowhere to be found.

Her still-foggy mind struggled to process this information. Elsa had been with her as they'd fallen asleep; the last thing she could remember was closing her eyes while wrapped in the Queen's arms. For a moment, the redhead wondered if her girlfriend had simply gone to use the toilet, but the open bathroom door and lack of candlelight disproved that hypothesis.

She groaned, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. As yet another chilly gust of air whipped through her hair, Anna's thoughts returned to the ajar window. It had been closed when they went to sleep, hadn't it? And that meant...someone must have opened it! Had the Queen been kidnapped while Anna slept?!

The redhead threw off the covers and ran to the window. Immediately, some of her fear was replaced with curiosity. Descending from the window was a staircase of ice. In the darkness it was difficult to see, but from mere inches away Anna could not miss it. Unless there was another ice-wielder in the kingdom, Elsa had not been captured. She had left willingly.

But why?

\

Ten minutes later, Anna returned from her own room. Without bothering to give the guards an explanation, the personal attendant had hurried down to the Upper Wing and retrieved a set of winter gear. There was no snow falling this night, but it was still cold enough outside to give anyone other than Elsa severe discomfort.

And that was exactly where Anna was going. The Queen had gone off into the night, and clearly had intended for no one to follow her. That wasn't going to stop Anna from venturing after her, but it did prevent the redhead from alerting the Royal Guards. Returning to the monarch's bedroom, Anna changed her clothes and opened the window fully.

She tells me to be careful and she goes off alone?! Anna thought as she carefully descended the steps. What the hell is she doing out here? And why wouldn't she tell me where she was going?

Reaching the bottom, the redhead squinted her eyes and looked around. Twenty feet ahead of her was the back wall of the Palace, atop of which several guards patrolled throughout both night and day. Beyond that was the forest in which Elsa had twice taken her ice-skating. Her eyes found no sign of the Queen. But a strange glint in the moonlight next to the tall stone wall ahead attracted her attention.

Hurrying forward, Anna soon confirmed her suspicions. It was another icy staircase, positioned close enough to the wall so that it was invisible to the guard posts on top.

Elsa had snuck out of her own Castle. What the hell was going on here?!

With little choice, the redhead stepped foot on the magical ice and wound her way to the top. The last step let off a few feet below the top of the wall, just enough for Anna to poke her head over the ledge. The nearest guard post was twenty meters to her right, easily distinguishable by the candlelight it utilized.

Anna bit her lip. Technically, she wasn't doing anything she was not entitled to do. As the Queen's personal attendant and a permanent resident (a thought that still made her smile) of the Castle, the redhead was permitted to go wherever she pleased within the Palace grounds. But being spotted by a guard would lead to an incredibly awkward confrontation...and would also probably expose whatever Elsa was doing out here, something the monarch clearly didn't want.

The gears in her mind turned rapidly. Her girlfriend hadn't stopped here; Elsa had continued beyond the wall. That meant that there was probably yet another icy staircase waiting for her on the other side of the ramparts, likewise positioned close to and a few feet below the ledge to prevent detection.

Praying that her hunch was right, Anna checked that the coast was clear before hoisting herself up and sprinting across the wall.

For a moment, she didn't see it. But her panic subsided as a cloud that had been blocking the moon moved aside; the increased light revealed a familiar glint beneath her. Taking one last glance to her right to make sure she hadn't been spotted, the redhead vaulted over the outer ledge and landed on the top step. Taking a deep breath, she began her descent.

\

Anna continued to walk through the forest. There was still no sign of the blond Queen, but that didn't mean the redhead did not have a destination in mind.

She ran towards the lake at inhuman speed. Now that Elsa had taken her there twice, Anna had a pretty good idea of where it was. There was no guarantee that Elsa would be there, but it was the only potential lead she had.

Was she put under a spell that's controlling her mind? Is she possessed? No, that doesn't make any sense...I hope. But then, what could it be? Did she want to go ice-skating? But why would she go so late at night, and without telling me?

Now that Arendelle was beginning its transition from winter to spring, there was no coating of white powder on the ground to hinder her progress. The only natural snow in the kingdom now consisted of dirty, melting clumps on the ground. Despite the fact that it allowed her to move faster, Anna couldn't help but think that this was her least favorite time of the year. Neither the pristine beauty of winter nor the vibrant life of spring were on display.

Only a few minutes away from the lake, Anna's breath hitched as she picked up speed. Would Elsa be there? She had to be there. Otherwise, Anna would not have the faintest clue of where to find her.

Anna rounded a bend in the tress, still running- then she stopped.

What. The Hell. Is That?!

Standing roughly twenty feet in front of her and blocking the path to the lake was a ten foot tall snow golem. Anna had never seen anything like it. This wasn't like one of Elsa's usual humanoid creations...this was a monster. Two empty eye sockets and a massive maw filled with teeth of ice made up its face. Icicles formed its fingers and its joints.

Still, Anna knew that appearances could be deceiving. If this thing was one of Elsa's creations, it probably wouldn't be hostile.

"Were you made by Queen Elsa?" Anna asked as she hesitantly approached the creature. "I'm her personal attendant- and her consort. May I pass?"

The golem continued to stare at her blankly. Of course it did. Ten feet away from the monster, Anna remembered that the Queen's creations weren't truly sentiment. They were mindless, doing only as Elsa instructed without hesitation.

Would Elsa have told it to let her through?

Suddenly, as Anna took another step forward, the creature finally acknowledged her presence. "Go away!" a deep gargled voice bellowed.

"I just want to see Elsa," Anna said hopelessly. "I'm a friend."

"Leave!"

"No, I-" another step brought her within five feet of the monster, and apparently that was the limit. A meaty, icicle-tipped fist lashed out at her head.

Quick as a cat, Anna dropped to the ground. Unfortunately, it appeared as if the creature's massive size didn't mean it was slow. It leapt forward, bringing its right foot down on Anna's position!

Just in time, the redhead rolled to the left. The ground beneath her vibrated as the golem's foot impacted the earth. She scrambled backwards through the snow desperately as the creature stomped again.

"Elsa, help!" Anna screamed instinctively as she jumped to her feet, hoping against hope that the monarch would hear her. But no response came from the forest ahead.

As the monster readied itself for its next attack, Anna considered her options. She could fight the creature, but she didn't have her sword. Still...what other choice did she have? It would probably chase her if she ran away, and the golem could very well prove faster than her. And the possibility remained that Elsa was in distress; Anna would not abandon her Queen.

She spun to the side as the monster darted forward; its fist missed her head by inches. Before he could recover, Anna dived to the ground. The redhead rolled forward through the grass, her momentum carrying her between the golem's legs. By the time he turned around, Anna had already hopped to her feet and leapt high into the air.

Wham! Anna's foot lashed out and connected with the creature's forehead. She landed on the ground in a smooth crouch as the golem stumbled back, clearly disoriented. It collapsed against a tree with a pained roar.

"How'd you like that?" the redhead grinned, taking a few steps forward towards her defeated foe. "Drop-kicks to the face aren't so pleasant, are-"

The golem sprung to its feet with inhuman speed, swiping at her with a bulky arm! Caught completely off guard, Anna was whacked across the chest by his clenched fist. The sheer force of the blow knocked the redhead off her feet and sent her soaring through the air.

For a brief moment, Anna was flying.

Then the back of her body exploded with pain as she slammed into a tree trunk. If not for her enhanced durability, she would have broken every bone in her body. As it was, the pain was enough to leave her collapsed in a heap.

Through starry eyes, Anna perceived the monster running towards her. Averting her gaze, she raised her right arm in a pathetic attempt to ward off the blow. Any second now...

"Stop!"

I know that voice!

A moment from pulverizing Anna, the golem backed away the instant he heard the command. Out of the corner of her blurry vision, Anna perceived a woman's arm extending...its fingers pointed at the creature. With a soft hiss, the golem winked out of existence.

"Anna!" Elsa shouted as she ran over to the prone attendant.

"I'm okay..." she tried to rise, but all the redhead accomplished was provoking another spasm of pain though her back. As she clenched her teeth in pain, a cool hand was placed upon her forehead.

Cold relief swept through her as Elsa's magic did its work. Vaguely, Anna could hear the Queen speaking, but the words were imperceptible as the chill healing her body consumed all of the attendant's focus. The longer Elsa continued, the more her eyesight returned to normal.

"I'm so sorry, Anna," she finally made out. "I was experimenting with my creations...I told him to not let anyone near the lake while I practiced. I just meant for him to block the path, I'd never dream he'd try to hurt someone...especially you. Gods, I'm such a fool..."

The redhead coughed, her speech and hearing nearly returning to her in full. "Elsa, I'm fine. Maybe I wouldn't be if you hadn't saved me in time...wow that sounds bad...but there was no harm done! Just remember to, uh, clarify your orders when you make big scary monsters in the future."

A flash of guilt still swept across the monarch's face but she nodded. And as Anna's thoughts cleared, the redhead was at last able to remember what had brought her out here in the first place.

"But sneaking out in the middle of the night is not okay! What the hell were you thinking- and you're always telling me to be careful! You come out here alone, in the middle of the night, slip past your guards and you don't even tell me? I don't even know where to start-"

Elsa silenced her by placing a soft finger on Anna's lips. Seeing that her attendant was recovered, she broke off the flow of magic.

"I've been coming out here to practice," she admitted as Anna climbed to her feet. "You stay up late as it is...I didn't want to wake you. But I'm not alone. Once I'm clear of the wall I create plenty of guards, the golem you saw was just one of several. I've been slipping past the Castle guards because I didn't want anyone to know I was out here...it would probably lead to an ambush if our enemies got wind of where I was going. Even still, I've had my creations scout ahead of me just in case. I'm sorry for worrying you...did I forget to close the window?"

She dropped her finger.

Anna clenched her fists. "That...that doesn't- that's still not okay, Elsa! Worried? You think I was worried?! I was scared to death! I get why you wanted to sneak out, but you should have at least had the decency to tell me!" The Queen's gaze fell to the ground, but she did not respond...giving Anna an opening to continue. "And why the hell are you coming out here anyway? What do you need to practice for? You control your powers great!" Never, in the months that the redhead had lived in the Castle, had she seen the monarch lose control beyond unintentionally dropping the temperature.

Elsa bit her lip. "It's not a matter of control. As I said, I've been...experimenting." Anna stared at her, not comprehending in the slightest.

The Queen sighed. "You've done everything in your power to try and protect me. I should be doing the same. Before these attacks, I've never really explored how my powers could be used in combat. So every other night since the Winter Festival attack, I've been coming out here and practicing for a few hours. It's tiring...but it's the only time and place where I can use my powers freely. I don't think the servants would be happy if I destroyed the Castle."

Anna frowned. She did think it was a good idea for Elsa to prepare her abilities for future conflict...anything that would help increase the Queen's chances of survival. Still, it hurt a bit to have been kept out of the loop. And her anger-induced worry hadn't entirely dissipated.

"Show me."

The Queen's eyes widened. "What?"

The redhead crossed her arms. "You say you've been practicing. I want to see it. And from now on, I'll be coming with you when you go out," she said firmly.

From the look that appeared in Elsa's eyes, Anna knew that the two of them would be arguing the latter point later. But the monarch nevertheless gestured towards the lake. "Alright," she beckoned. "I think you'll be surprised..."

\

Anna wasn't surprised. She was shell-shocked.

Elsa was flying. Okay, not really, but she might as well have been. The blond Queen was twenty feet above the surface of the lake and moving so rapidly that it was difficult for Anna to track her movements.

Ice was shooting out from beneath Elsa's feet, blazing a trail ahead for her. The monarch's left hand was extended behind her, emitting a continuous jet of cold air that seemed to be acting as propulsion. Elsa's shoes, made out of the same ice that she was gliding on, slid across the created surface easily.

It was as if she was skating in mid-air. The monarch seemed to be utterly in control; she was able to rise, fall, and turn on a dime. As Anna watched, the ice ahead of Elsa inclined upward sharply. The Queen cleared the hill easily, now ten feet higher than she had been previously. It might not have been true flight, but it served the same purpose. The ice that Elsa had already glided across continuously vanished, leaving the Queen's future movements unobstructed.

But Elsa wasn't done yet. Her 'flight' still left her right hand free. Anna stared in awe as the monarch began to shoot icicles from her palm. Elsa's aim was on point; each projectile perfectly impacted the tree trunk that the monarch had been gunning for. As she continued to fire, Elsa was still maintaining her previous mobility; the Queen was switching directions and gaining altitude as easily as before.

I'm powerful. But thank the gods I'll never have to duel her.

Finally, Elsa broke off her target practice and speeded in Anna's direction. Timing her momentum perfectly, she came to a stop a foot next to the redhead.

"Wow!" Anna exclaimed. Really, what else could she say?

The Queen smirked. "Thanks. It took me about a week, but I figured it out. If we're attacked again, hopefully my increased mobility will turn out to be of use. So...since you enjoyed the show...am I forgiven?"

Anna darted forward and took the blond into a brief kiss. "No," she said firmly, pulling back. "But I am impressed," the attendant admitted. "Now please, can we go back to bed? I'm exhausted."

Elsa nodded.

\

Together, they used the staircases Elsa had made previously and slipped back into the monarch's room. Anna remained nervous that they would be spotted, even now that the Queen was with her, but Elsa had chosen the locations for her staircases well.

"Glad you left those up," Anna murmured as she climbed through the window after the monarch. "I never would have found you otherwise."

Elsa smiled. "It's harder on the way back to know where exactly I need to be on the wall in order to avoid detection. So I just leave the staircases in place until I return." She flicked her finger. "They're gone now though; I'd rather not leave them up in the morning for everyone to see."

"Whatever," Anna yawned. "Come cuddle with me," the redhead ordered impatiently as she slipped under the covers.

The Queen rolled her eyes. "Yes, Your Majesty."

\

A few hours later, Anna was engaged in some training of her own. Gripping her blade tightly, the redhead launched herself into an advanced series of strikes. In the span of a few seconds her blade bit into the straw dummy in front of her ten times. True to Elsa's word, the ice seemed to be unbreakable. With each tap into the thick straw, all it left behind was a thin gash and a wisp of cool smoke.

"Impressive."

Smiling, Anna wiped the sweat off her forehead and turned around. Standing before her was Arms Master Drell, his own sword resting at his hip.

"Thanks. How did my form look?" she questioned. Although the attendant had advanced to the stage in her training where she could improve on her own, Drell was still always willing to give her advice whenever she asked. Several times since the start of her permanent stay at the Castle, Anna had come to him with a question.

The Arms Master nodded. "Looks good. Approaching expert level, I'd say. Your technique isn't comparable with that of a Swordmaster yet, but it's getting there. Your speed and strength however..."

"Yeah," Anna replied nervously. "Turns out I'm a naturally gifted athlete. Who knew?"

Drell frowned, crossing his arms. "Don't take me for a fool," he said, his voice harsher than normal. "There's nothing 'natural' about what you can do. I understand why the Queen may want to keep your...abilities...a secret. But do you honestly believe that I am so blind? I knew from the first week that there was something supernatural about you."

What?! He'd...he'd known all along. Of course...he'd trained dozens of students before her, all of them men. Despite her best attempts to hide it, he'd have to have seen that Anna wasn't normal. Still, the redhead couldn't keep the surprise off her face. She knew the Queen had told her Council (albeit marginalizing the role of Elsa's own magic in the process,) but beyond them it was still a closely guarded secret.

Her gaze fell sharply to the ground. "I'm sorry," she apologized. It was true. Anna had always felt ashamed about lying to the man who had instructed her to the best of his ability for weeks. "I guess I'm not a student to be proud of after all."

Drell shook his head. "Your powers aren't something to be proud of," he agreed. "But..." he stepped forward, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Your actions are. Although I can't honestly say I take pride in your prowess, I can say with certain that I'm proud of your defense of the Queen. Anyone who lays down their life for the monarch is a worthy student of mine."

Anna finally raised her head. Next to Elsa, there was no one whose approval she valued more than that of her teacher. To know that she hadn't disappointed him despite the lies...

"Excuse me?" a young voice said.

Master and student turned their heads to the right. A male teenager with blond hair was standing before them, dressed in the green uniform of a Palace footman.

"Begging your pardon, milady, but Her Majesty requires your immediate presence in her study," he said nervously. Anna's eyes widened at his term of address.

"Of course. I'll go immediately. But...I'm not a lady," she replied with a nervous laugh. "I'm basically just a guard...anyway, thanks."

The footman nodded quickly. "My apologies, ma'am. Good day." He bowed, turned around swiftly, and began to walk away.

"What was that about?" Anna wondered aloud. To her surprise, the usually calm Arms Master beside her let out a hearty chuckle. Turning to him, the redhead raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"People tend to be respectful towards prospective royalty," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Prospective-!" Anna's face turned bright red as she realized that the entire Castle, Drell included, probably knew about her relationship with Elsa by now. "Oh...right. Well, I guess I better get going! Els-Her Majesty...needs me."

Drell flashed her a small, knowing smile.

\

Anna hurried upstairs as quickly as she could. She wasn't certain why the monarch needed her, but the redhead was willing to bet that it was important.

Her shoes pounding across the floor, Anna all but ran up the stairs towards Elsa's study. Arriving on the floor of her destination, she rounded a corner-

Clang!

She collided noisily with a tall man, the force of the collision knocking him to the ground. Anna herself remained upright, albeit dazed.

Unfortunately, she recognized the man she had sent to the floor.

"General Kale! Gods, I'm sorry. Are you okay? I was just-"

With a scowl, Kale climbed to his feet. "Watch where you're going, girl," he said irritably. "Just because you're the Queen's pet doesn't mean you can barge through the Castle at your leisure."

Anna's own anger flared. "Excuse me?" she demanded.

"You think you've got it made now that you're mommy's favorite girl," Kale replied with a vicious smile. Evidently, the General knew he had struck a nerve. "But all monarchs tire of their playthings eventually. Once she's grown bored of you in bed and doesn't need your skills to defend herself any longer, you'll be back out on the streets where you belong."

Blood pounded in her ears. She knew his words were false, but Anna still clenched her fist. Only the knowledge that it would give him satisfaction kept her from socking him in the jaw.

"Is there a problem here?" a calm voice spoke.

Anna turned around. Another man had just come off the stairs. His graying beard and slightly thinning hair marked him as one of the oldest members of Elsa's Council, but to the redhead he had always come off as one of its more reasonable members.

Kale smirked. "Of course not, Lord Arald. I was just educating Miss Anna here on how civilized people act when in the presence of others. I believe I got my point across; good day." He turned and walked down the stairs without another word.

Arald grimaced. "It's not personal, you know," the portly man stated once Kale was out of earshot. "It's not you yourself that he hates. He just cannot stand the fact that his Order has been upstaged by a commoner."

The redhead smiled. "You'd think he'd just be happy that Her Majesty is safe, no matter who is responsible."

"Anna," Arald sighed. "Most of us are. But for some, that's never going to extend into gratitude towards you, even though it should."

She scowled. "But-"

"Some people will never change. I, personally, consider myself fortunate that I was raised in a family that was at least liberal enough to allow me to form my own attitudes about social class. But for those who were raised to think that blood is the be all and end all of a person's worth…it's very hard to break that belief."

Anna frowned, but said nothing. His words were disheartening, but she'd had more than enough experiences throughout her life to confirm that they were true.

"There are some who are offended by the very notion of a common woman given the task of guarding the monarch," the lord continued. "Now that you have been revealed as Her Majesty's consort…I'm afraid their outrage will only grow."

"So what do I do?" Anna asked.

Arald sighed. "There isn't really anything you can do. You either grin and bear it, or you decide that they have crossed a line and inform the Queen. Just remember: it's not personal. They hate you not for who you are, but because of the barriers you have broken. Don't let it get to you."

Anna nodded gratefully.

The nobleman smiled slightly. "Don't forget that you have your fair share of supporters as well. Some of us have been thinking for some time that this Castle was in need of some change. And you have certainly made things interesting."

\

"You summoned me my Queen?" Anna questioned loudly as she all but barged into Elsa's office.

The monarch didn't smile upon her appearance. She was slumped at her desk, holding her head in her hands and looking as if she was halfway between crying and freezing someone. It only took Anna a few seconds to notice that the temperature in the room was near-freezing.

"Elsa...what's wrong?"

The Queen finally looked up. "I received a letter from my Uncle today. It's...not good. Albion's mobilizing its forces; they're going to try and cut Lucrania off from the copper mines by force. I can't believe it, but it looks like...gods Anna it looks like there's going to be a war. We're going to Corona, my Uncle is hosting a peace conference out of the hope that our two countries can work out a settlement."

Anna paled. Just when it appeared that peace was returning to their lives...now this was happening. If a conflict broke out, how many would perish? Thirty thousand? Fifty? Both nations were home to roughly three million people, and their militaries were said to be evenly managed. Any war between them would be prolonged and bloody.

"Do you think it will work?" the attendant asked hopefully.

Elsa sighed deeply. "It's worth a shot. If we do nothing, there will definitely be a war. But do I really think that two proud nations are going to allow foreign powers to dictate their actions, especially given how vital that copper is to both of them?" The Queen shook her head sadly. "…No. I don't."


	33. Chapter 33

Elsa frowned as her eyes searched the ship for Anna.

It had been three days since the beginning of their journey to Corona. In order to ensure that they arrived before the other delegations and make certain that they were adequately protected, the monarch had chosen to take the trip using Arednelle's flagship. The pride of the Royal Navy, it had been commissioned by Elsa herself at the beginning of her reign and completed roughly a year ago. Inspired by the nickname her magic had garnered her, Elsa had chosen to christen it the Ice Queen.

The ship was nearly five hundred feet long and fifty meters wide, possibly making it the largest maritime vessel in existence. Massive white sails and dozens of ballistae mounted on the top deck served to make its speed and power second to none. It had cost her a fortune to build, but its construction had served to give her citizens hundreds of jobs during a slow harvest year. And judging by its success against the pirates who were known to prowl the northern waters, the investment had turned out to be a wise one.

She had been prepped by her advisors thoroughly prior to departing, but on this trip Elsa was representing Arendelle alone. Her Uncle had stated his desire to have this conference consist of only the four rulers themselves in order to come to an agreement as directly as possible. Infighting among councilors would only make things more difficult, and since all four countries were (at least in theory) absolute monarchies, the request was reasonable.

The Queen had never liked to leave Arendelle, especially for long periods, but there had been no choice. In situations such as this, all of her current orders stood. Her Council was (for the only time) given true authority, but they were meant to act as little more than figureheads and by law could not override any of Elsa's previous decrees. If something drastic happened, such as a natural disaster or a declaration of war, the Council could vote on a response. But all involved knew that they were responsible for the actions they chose to take...and were liable to face Elsa's judgment when she returned.

Fortunately, this at least meant that the Queen had the executive chambers all to herself. Well, almost all to herself. Elsa loved sleeping with Anna; nothing was more comforting than having the redhead in her arms. But it was terrifying at the same time. This experience was still so...new to her, and for all their virtues her parents had done little to educate her about relationships. Let alone a relationship with another woman.

When Anna's eyes were closed and her face was frowning peacefully, the Queen would continue to lie awake and stare at her. Anna was so beautiful and so amazing...and she didn't even realize it. But with that thought would come the fear that Elsa would do something...anything…wrong, and Anna would shatter like glass. She knew it was ridiculous, given Anna's strength in both mind and body, but the monarch couldn't rid herself of the anxiety that she would do something to the detriment of their relationship.

It was either share her chambers with Anna (which was expected anyway, given the kingdom's newfound knowledge of their courtship) or have her personal attendant sleep in the guards' barracks on board, where the dozen or so Royal Guards she'd brought along were also quartered. As nerve-wracking as it was to have Anna in her bed for five consecutive nights, Elsa would never dream of subjecting the redhead to the latter experience.

To her credit, Anna hadn't pressured her again following her first failed attempt. But Elsa knew that she wanted to. The Queen could see the desire in her attendant's eyes every time they kissed. There was enjoyment, yes, but also the desperation for more. And though Anna thought she was being sly, Elsa could tell that the final location of the attendant's head on some mornings wasn't the result of random chance.

Not that the Queen didn't understand how Anna was feeling. Despite her relative unfamiliarity with sexual desire, Elsa knew that she wanted the redhead. But she wasn't ready...Elsa couldn't quite explain why...but it didn't feel like the right time just yet. Maybe she was simply nervous, worrying that her inexperience would result in Anna being unsatisfied. The Queen was working on fixing that; she'd been doing some private reading in her free time. Though it couldn't substitute for actual experience, hopefully it would educate Elsa to the point where she wasn't jumping into bed blind.

She'd be ready soon. And Anna would be the first person to know.

But for the moment, her concerns about the oncoming war and the prospect of sex could wait (especially given that there was nothing she could do about the former until they arrived in Corona.) Another problem was currently presenting itself, and like her entire life over the past few months, it revolved around Anna.

The redhead had taken well to sea life. Either Elsa's magic had made it impossible for her to get sea-sick or Anna was just naturally resistant. Regardless, she had marveled at the Ice Queen's magnificence. And in the three days since their journey began she'd been content to spend most of her time not sleeping or playing Chess with the monarch in their cabin (finally, Elsa judged her attendant a match for a ten year old when it came to the board game) exploring the ship.

And now, she was missing.

Elsa had already told her off once for climbing around in the rigging. Although her climbing abilities and her ability to survive a fall made it relatively safe, Anna running around the top of the Ice Queen's sails still had the tendency to distract sailors when they were busy working to clean the ship and keep it on course.

After waking up roughly an hour after sunrise to find Anna gone (a rarity, given her attendant's distaste for mornings,) Elsa had searched each of the ship's decks in a fruitless attempt to find her. Now, as her eyes failed to find any sign of the redhead throughout any of the rigging, the Queen was starting to grow worried. Had Anna fallen off while doing something rash? It was always a possibility.

Ignoring the looks of astonishment from the crew, Elsa commanded ice to shoot out of her feet. Throwing out her left hand behind her, the monarch began a continuous blast of cold air that propelled her up the newly created ramp. Within moments she was gliding upward sharply. There was one more place she had to check.

When she was finally close enough to spot the flash of red sitting in the crow's nest, Elsa sighed with relief.

"Anna," Elsa scolded as she deposited herself next to the redhead. Her girlfriend simply smiled, continuing to rest her chin against the wooden ledge and stare out into the sea surrounding them.

"I told you not to come climbing up here. I couldn't find you; you had me worried! How was I supposed to know you hadn't fallen off the side of the ship doing something foolish?"

Anna finally turned to her. "I wasn't bothering anyone," she said defensively. "And I'm not that stupid. I'm just enjoying the sights; I've never really gotten to see the ocean before."

"Wanted to be a pirate when you grew up?" the Queen couldn't help but snark.

The attendant smirked. "Not exactly. I may have been a thief, but I never wanted to hold people at swordpoint and make them walk the plank," she said. "But I always wanted to see the sea. Not just the shoreline; the actual ocean. And I can see it best from up here."

"I've been on a dozen voyages. It gets boring after a while," Elsa remarked.

"Wish I'd been there."

The Queen frowned thoughtfully. Apparently she wasn't perfect at concealing her emotions, because Anna gazed at her curiously. "What are you thinking?" the redhead inquired.

Elsa sighed. "It's silly," she protested.

"So am I," Anna replied, making the monarch raise her hand to conceal a light giggle. She sat down beside Anna, glad that they were in private. If her consort wanted to know, the Queen would tell her, but she wouldn't let the entire kingdom in on her illicit thoughts.

"Sometimes, I can't help but wish that we'd grown up together," Elsa admitted. "You would have gotten the life you deserved, a pair of loving parents...and plenty of opportunities to see the ocean," she added with a small smile. "I would have gotten the little sister I'd always wanted; someone to play with and talk to when my parents were busy."

To the Queen's surprise, Anna grinned. "That would have been nice," she agreed. "But I don't think the Council, or the rest of the kingdom for that matter, would have approved of you courting your own sister. The nobles would probably be even angrier than they are now."

"Probably," Elsa replied. "But despite the taboo...I think I would have wanted to court you anyway," she admitted. "Not when we were young, of course...but when we were both old enough..." she stopped herself. She was being ridiculous.

Anna laughed. "Me too," she agreed. "Sister or not, you're irresistible." Suddenly, a sly grin appeared on her lips. "But if there was another heir, wouldn't you have been afraid of facing a challenge to the throne?"

"I still would have been the elder," Elsa pointed out. "The throne would have gone to me regardless."

"Unless I pulled off a coup," Anna retorted. "I could have forced you to give me the kingdom, kept you prisoner in your bedroom and won everyone over with my dazzling smile. Maybe if you behaved like a good girl I would have brought you some chocolates and let you have a kiss every now and then."

Elsa shivered slightly. Despite herself, Anna's last sentence was making her a little warm. In reality, she knew that Anna would never have wanted the throne...and even if she did the redhead was far too loyal and kind-hearted to make a play for it. She would have been perfectly content as the second-in-line, happy to remain a Princess and watch her older sister rule.

"What were we talking about again?" Anna muttered.

The Queen frowned. "Before you distracted me with speculation, I believe I was admonishing you for disobeying my orders and climbing up here," she replied. One of Anna's most pleasant yet most frustrating qualities was her ability to suck Elsa in with her words and cause her to forget about the world.

The attendant smiled. "Then let's stop talking," she said with a wink. The monarch's face went red as Anna pulled her in for a kiss, but despite the open air they were still too high for the crew to spot. With that thought, the Queen resigned herself to be lost in Anna.

\

Two days later, the couple was in a similar position in the crow's nest. With Corona almost upon them, Anna had persuaded Elsa to join her atop the ship in order to spot the coastline.

"Do you think your family will like me?" Anna wondered out loud as the two women stared ahead. "They don't know about us yet...do they?"

"No," Elsa confirmed. The Queen had wanted to be the one to tell her relatives about her choice in partner, and thus had demanded that a reluctant Rapunzel keep her mouth shut when the Princess returned home. Though it would have not been easy for her, the monarch knew that her cousin always kept her word.

At the look of anxiety on Anna's face, Elsa was quick to reassure her. "They'll love you," the Queen said confidently. "They have nothing against two women being together, judging by Corona's policies, and they welcomed Eugene with open arms when they saw how Rapunzel cared for him. They might be surprised, but they'll be happy for me."

"I hope- there it is!" Anna shouted. Thousands of feet ahead, a blurry coastline was slowly coming into view. The redhead leaned forward, marveling at the sight.

"I've got to go down," Elsa said a few minutes later. "Meet me on the deck." With that, she vaulted over the wooden ledge and plummeted towards the ground. Halfway down, she splayed open both of her palms towards the deck below and released a constant jet of cool air from each of them. It wasn't quite enough to sustain flight, but it allowed her to descend at a comfortable speed.

"Show off!" she heard Anna shout above her.

\

Anna bit her lip as they walked through the door of the King's study.

After being escorted to the Coronan Royal Palace (a bit smaller, but generally a similar building to Elsa's Castle,) the Queen and her personal attendant had gone to speak with the royal family while the rest of the Arendelle delegation were shown to rooms in the guest wing.

In theory, it was a simple curtesy being extended by the ruler of Arendelle towards hosting Royalty. In practice, it was a family reunion. And for Anna, it was the closest experience she was ever going to have to meeting Elsa's parents.

"Elsa!" a high voice greeted as they walked inside.

The room had almost exactly the same layout as Elsa's study. At a large desk in the center sat a large man with brown hair, a prominent beard, and blue eyes. Atop his head rested a large golden crown. To his right stood a slender woman with light brown hair that ran down past her shoulders. Bright green eyes illuminated her otherwise gentle face. Like her husband, she wore a tiara of gold in her hair. A necklace of white pearls hung around her neck.

Two large chairs faced the desk. One was being shared by Rapunzel and a thin yet muscular man with dark brown hair and a small goatee. To their left was a slightly older man, his black hair and blue eyes setting him apart from the rest of the family...though like them he was handsome and well-built.

Why is royalty always so beautiful? Anna couldn't help but wonder.

"It's so good to see you all!" Elsa said as they all stood up and greeted her at once. According to the Queen, it had been nearly a year since they'd all seen each other. Anna stood back awkwardly as Elsa embraced each of her family members in turn, though she calmed slightly once Rapunzel sent her a small smile.

"Everyone, this is Anna," the monarch introduced her. "She saved my life a few months ago, and she's been protecting me ever since. Last month, I made her my personal attendant, and it wasn't long after that she rescued me again. She and I are..."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Anna," the black-haired man she assumed to be Rapunzel's older brother Prince Thomas interrupted. He stepped forward, took her hand, and placed a light kiss upon it. "You have my utmost thanks for protecting my dear cousin. Though I must admit, it seems a shame to see a beauty such as yourself preoccupied with guarding a-ow!" He broke off in pain as Rapunzel indignantly whacked him across the back of the head.

"You'll have to forgive my brother," she apologized. "He's an incorrigible flirt." The King and Queen did nothing but smile at the scene with amusement. Evidently, this sort of thing was a common occurrence.

"Hey!" he protested. "There's nothing wrong with complimenting a woman. I'm just being polite. Besides, it's not as if she's taken."

Elsa frowned. "She is," the Queen corrected. "By me."

Well, that was sudden.

Save for Rapunzel, the entire Coronan royal family stared at them in shock. The man Anna took to be Rapunzel's husband Eugene looked to be the most unfazed, but even his eyes had widened in surprise. Thomas looked as if he had just heard that his kingdom was being invaded by an army of dragons.

"You mean..." Queen Lenna started.

"Yes," Elsa confirmed. "Anna is my consort; we've been together for almost a month. I...appear to like women. I didn't even know, not until after I met her. Rapunzel knew, but I asked her to let me be the one to tell you…in person." As she spoke, the Queen reached out and grasped Anna's hand firmly.

Thomas was the first to recover; he began to laugh loudly. "It figures that the most beautiful women end up playing for the other team," he said ruefully. "But you have my utmost admiration for managing to warm my cousin's frozen heart. Honestly, I thought she'd never get together with someone..."

"What he means to say is that we're very happy for you, dear," Queen Lenna corrected. At her words, Anna released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Maybe this wouldn't be as difficult as she thought.

The King smiled, laying a hand on his wife's shoulder. "It appears that our daughter has set a trend," he remarked, gazing at his son-in-law.

"You mean falling in love with a dashing hero who came into her life and rescued her repeatedly?" Eugene questioned with a smirk.

"No. I mean choosing a consort guaranteed to anger her country's aristocracy. But if our nobles got over you, then I'm sure that the lords and ladies of Arendelle will grow to accept her," King Marcus corrected.

\

One by one, the members of Elsa's family shook Anna's hand warmly (save for Rapunzel, who pulled her in for a hug.) Sitting in a chair of their own, for once Anna allowed her Queen to do most of the talking. The more she told of the redhead's story, the more the Coronan royal family seemed impressed with her. Anna was too modest to do more than provide some of the details that Elsa hadn't witnessed, but the Queen of Arendelle seemed more than happy to extol her attendant's virtues for minutes on end.

By the end of Elsa's recounting, Anna's face was burning a bright pink. Still, it was a far more pleasant reception than she had received from the nobles of Arendelle. None of them even batted an eye when they learned of her past as a thief, probably due to the fact that she wasn't the only former brigand in the room.

As Anna had previously requested, Elsa glossed over the details of her journey to see the trolls. All she mentioned was that the creatures had turned out to indeed exist, but had been unable to assist her at the present time. Rapunzel was silent during most of this recounting, likely because of the deadly glare she was receiving from the Queen of Arendelle, and Anna was grateful not to have to answer any of her questions at the moment.

Eventually, the discussion inevitably turned to grimmer topics. The good news was that the monarchs of Albion and Lucrania had agreed to attend this conference; both were scheduled to arrive in two days' time. Unfortunately, Elsa's relatives shared the Queen's lack of optimism. No one, not even Rapunzel, had any confidence that an agreement would be reached.

A few hours later in the afternoon, when they had been shown to their chambers (Anna was glad to see Elsa affirm that they were rooming together, she didn't fancy sleeping with the rest of the guards) the redhead stated the obvious.

"I don't understand," Anna admitted once they were alone. "Arendelle and Corona both have so much money. Why not just tell Albion and Lucrania that they can split the copper fifty-fifty and use money from your treasury to compensate for what they lost?"

Elsa offered her a small smile. Not the usual warm smile brought upon by affection, but the condescending look that a mother would give a young child. "That's just not the way these things work, Anna. First of all, that would still be a lot of money, and people in Arendelle wouldn't exactly be happy about me giving it away. It would set a bad precedent, letting other nations know that they can threaten war with each other and receive free donations from Arendelle to back down. We'd be inviting ourselves to be blackmailed. But even if those things weren't true, Albion and Lucrania would never accept it. They're both incredibly proud countries, especially Albion. To have their foreign policy dictated by the pockets of foreign countries? Gods, there might be a revolt. No. If there is going to be any agreement at all, it's one with which both nations are able to save face."

Anna frowned. "I don't see how that can work," she remarked. "What kind of settlement can there be where it doesn't look like they're being bossed around?"

"Exactly," Elsa agreed.

\

After the day's discussions, Anna was exhausted. But there was one more thing she needed to do, and she would prefer not to do it in front of the entire Royal Family. Following a lovely dinner they shared with Elsa's relatives in their private dining room, Anna had shown the Queen back to their chambers and made certain that she was secure before venturing back out again. Elsa had looked at her curiously, but thankfully had decided not to question her intentions.

Corona's Royal Family was lodged on the floor above. Since she and Elsa had already received a brief tour before dinner, the redhead knew exactly where her destination was located. The guards on the steps appeared to hesitate briefly before letting her pass, but eventually they recognized her as an honored guest of the Royal Family and let her through without complaint.

Anna took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. Hopefully its occupants were not in a state of undress.

The entrance to the room opened to reveal Rapunzel standing before her still clothed in her evening gown. The Princess's initial look of curiosity quickly made way to reveal a wide smile.

"Hi, Anna. Something I can do for you?"

The attendant bit her lip nervously. "Actually, I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes. May I, uh, come in?" she asked.

"Of course."

Anna walked inside to the Princess's large, well-furnished bedroom. Unlike Elsa's chambers, Rapunzel's living quarters were colored by bright yellows and oranges, colors that both suited her personality and were often associated with Corona. It quickly became apparent to Anna, however, that the two women were not alone in the room. Sitting on a sofa in front of the room's lit fireplace sat Prince Eugene, still clad in his formal evening wear.

At the sound of their conversation, he arose from the seat. "I'll leave you two alone," he offered.

The attendant was about to nod, but stopped herself. Perhaps it would be best, after all, if Rapunzel's husband was around to comfort her once she heard the news. The last thing she had wanted was to potentially embarrass the Princess in front of her family, but Anna doubted such a thing would occur between the married couple. According to Elsa, the two had been very close ever since they'd met.

"No, Your H-Eugene," the redhead corrected herself as she'd been told to do. "Stay. I just needed to tell Rapunzel...I mean, maybe you should be here for this," she finished. Both royals looked at her curiously but nodded.

"What is it, Anna?" the Princess asked.

The attendant bit her lip, willing herself not to ramble. There was no point in beating around the bush. She just had to say it and get it over with; stalling wouldn't spare Rapunzel from any pain in the end.

"Shadow is...Shadow is dead," she revealed. "The night I left for the trolls, six men with crossbows came after me. I killed them...but Shadow got hit with a poisoned bolt. There was nothing I could do...I'm sorry."

The look of pain that spread across Rapunzel's face was agonizing to watch. Without thinking, Anna moved forward and spread her arms, taking the Princess into a warm embrace that she immediately returned.

It was thirty seconds before the two of them pulled back. As Eugene came forward and rested a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder, Rapunzel finally found her voice. "It's...not your fault, Anna. You were attacked...and it was me who let you go," she managed.

"Who was after you?" the Prince asked. "Did you find out?"

Anna shook her head. "The only one I managed to take alive killed himself before I could question him. But that's not even the end of it. Throughout the trip, I was assaulted two more times; once in the forest and once in the capital itself on my way back," she said. It was still too painful to mention Kristoff and Sven, but at least she could get out the rest of the details.

"The second attack was, it was...uh, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there myself," she continued. "I was hunted down by a pack of wolves...they were faster than normal and seemed to be single-mindedly focused on killing me. And when I got back to the city, I was attacked by two skilled mercenaries and a woman who could shoot fire."

The royals stared at her. "Why didn't you or Elsa mention this earlier?" Eugene asked.

"I thought you might not want to be in front of everyone when you heard...what happened," Anna explained. Rapunzel gave her a small grateful smile, though her eyes had begun to glisten. "But Elsa's going to tell your parents tomorrow. It doesn't even really matter though. I mean, we still don't have the slightest idea on who's behind it all. All we can offer is speculation."

Eugene frowned. "A fire mage?" he mused. "Like Elsa?"

"Thank the gods, no, nothing like Elsa," Anna answered. "She was dangerous, don't get me wrong, but all she could do was shoot small balls of fire. I was lucky, but I was still able to kill her even after she used the element of surprise to burn me. Elsa would have destroyed her."

Rapunzel frowned. "That may be, but still...what if this mage wasn't the only one they have who could use magic?"

"I don't know," Anna admitted. "I guess all we can do is pray that none of them are in Elsa's league." The thought nearly made the redhead shiver. The idea of facing an enemy with the Queen's abilities and none of the moral restraint...it was unthinkable.


	34. Chapter 34

Having heard of her unusual abilities, and with the remaining dignitaries not scheduled to arrive for another day, both Prince Thomas and Prince-Consort Eugene challenged Anna to a friendly sparring match (with wooden swords.) The attendant was hesitant purely for the fact that she would be leaving Elsa's side within a foreign country, but the Queen bade her to go ahead. She would be spending the day catching up with Rapunzel and her parents, after all, and the Coronan Palace was well-guarded.

The resulting experience was humbling for all three of them.

Even when it was two-on-one, Anna defeated both of the Princes easily without breaking a sweat. As skilled as they were, a normal human simply could no longer hope to compete with her strength, speed, and reflexes. In one memorable instance, the redhead blocked a two-handed strike from Eugene while holding her blade with one arm, used her free hand to catch Thomas's wrist, then kicked both men to the ground in rapid succession.

"That's going to leave a mark," Eugene winced as Anna stared down at him, unable to keep the cockiness off of her face.

"Same here," Thomas agreed as he climbed to his feet. "Isn't against the law to humiliate Royalty?" he asked good-naturedly. Brushing themselves off, both Princes prepared for the next round.

Anna shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not a citizen of Corona, so I'm perfectly at liberty to keep beating both of you into the dirt." She twirled her sword theatrically, settling herself into an inviting stance.

"If you weren't magical-" Eugene leapt forward, beginning a quick series of strikes that she easily blocked. "You wouldn't be doing so well." Thomas ran towards them, joining his fellow Prince in the assault, but neither of them were able to score a scratch on her.

The redhead would have loved to voice a retort. But she didn't have one. Eugene was right; her technique and form were good, but both of her opponents had been training for years. Prince Thomas, the heir to the throne of Corona, had been brought up learning the ways of the sword as was custom. Eugene had been pulling off daring heists for years, which necessitated some ability with a sword. And since moving into the Palace, he had sharpened his skills.

As quickly as she had taken to the art of the blade, natural talent was no match for decades of experience. Without her magic, the royals would have overwhelmed her with relative ease. Despite coming off from this contest as the clear victor, that all-too-obvious fact was still disconcerting.

Around noon, Thomas had to break off for a meeting with some officials. With his parents busy consulting with Elsa and deciding how they were going to go about these negotiations, it fell to the Crown Prince to deal with more minor but still important details, such as preparing for the arrival of two powerful monarchs.

"If you've had enough of kicking my ass into the ground, want to learn a few things?" Eugene offered as his brother-in-law walked off. "I know you were taught by an Arms Master in Arendelle, but Corona has its own style when it comes to swordsmanship. I doubt you've had much time to learn about foreign bladework, given that you only started training a few months ago, but it's something that might interest you. Even if you're the strongest woman in the world, technique can never hurt."

Anna smiled brightly. "Sounds great!" she agreed.

\

Corona and Arendelle may have had similar cultures, but that didn't mean that they had similar fighting styles. While the warriors of Arendelle were blunt and direct in their swordsmanship, it seemed that the soldiers of Corona were more...elegant. Eugene's swordsmanship, when not interrupted with her superior strength, had a certain flow to it that the masters of Arendelle (Drell and Vrael among them) had seemed to lack. At first, Anna considered it pointless showmanship.

But she soon realized that it gave Corona's fighters a distinct advantage. They were more controlled and yet less predictable than their counterparts in Arendelle, capable of switching between styles on a whim. It was a sacrifice of speed and strength in favor of precision and improvisation.

Still, even though Anna was impressed, the redhead could tell that it was not the style for her. Among normal warriors, the advantages that the two methods possessed were probably roughly equal. But Anna didn't need to worry about predictability when she could move faster than most men could react. There was no point in her trying anything other than a quick, direct approach.

"What do you think?" Eugene asked after a lengthy demonstration.

Anna frowned. "I don't think it'd work for me," she admitted. "But it might give me an edge to know how your style works if I'm ever up against a fighter from Corona."

"Is Elsa planning an invasion?" the Prince asked with a smirk.

The attendant laughed. "Hardly. But you never know who you're going to be up against. I've already faced dozens of assassins from my own country, not to mention a pack of super-wolves and a woman who shot fire from her hands. Anything could happen."

Nodding in agreement, Eugene sheathed his sword. Anna felt like she could go on all day, but the Royal was clearly spent from over two hours of sparring. She was about to bid him farewell and return to her chambers to wash.

And then it suddenly hit her, prompted by nothing in particular. For months she had lived in the Castle of Arendelle, thrust into a new world that hadn't entirely welcomed her. Although she had the support of a few, no one could truly relate to what she was going through. And now, here she was, alone with possibly the only person on the planet who could truly hope to understand her situation.

"Hey Eugene, can I ask you something?"

The Prince-consort sighed dramatically. "Anna, I want you to know that I'm flattered. But I am a happily married man who is devoted to his beautiful wife, and not just because she would whack me in the back of the head with a frying pan if I ever betrayed her."

Anna scowled. "I'm being serious here," she huffed. Eugene's gaze hardened.

"Oh. Sure, I'm all ears. What's on your mind?" he asked.

The redhead nervously tucked her blond streak behind her ear. "Well, I guess I wanted to ask you...how did you adjust to all this? Living in a Castle and being Royalty, I mean? Not that I'm Royalty, because I'm not...but you know what I mean. Rapunzel found out she was a Princess, but everyone welcomed her back with open arms and never questioned her right to be here. But with you...did the nobles like you from the outset...I doubt they did...did they ever grow to like you? How did you deal with them every day? Because while I love living in the Castle, it's really started to get on my nerves lately."

Anna had thick skin. She'd needed it to survive in the cold world. But at least before, when someone insulted her or gave her a condescending glance, she never had to see them again. Now they were around her constantly. It hadn't bothered her much at first, but after coming back from her journey and still being scorned despite saving the Queen's life again...

Eugene's face fell slightly. "Yeah, I get what you're saying," he agreed. "At first it seems so awesome, living in a Castle and not having to worry about food or clothes. I wasn't as poor as you...I wasn't a noble thief...but I can relate. And it still is awesome. But over time, the pressure can start to build up. You feel like you're surrounded on all sides by people who can't stand you, and even though you enjoy your new life and have the support of the Royal Family, it's hard to resist the urge to punch a stuffy old lord into a wall. Or I guess in your case, through a wall."

Anna nodded animatedly.

"I wish I could tell you that it stops. But it never does, not really. Even when you become Royalty-"

"If," the attendant corrected.

"When that day happens," Eugene smirked, "There's still going to be plenty of people who don't respect you. And the most annoying thing is that sometimes, that disrespect extends to the one you love. To this day, some noblemen whisper behind Rapunzel's back about how foolish her choice was."

Anna's fists clenched. Yes. She knew how that felt.

The Prince frowned. "They don't insult you outright, not usually. Not enough to gain a rebuke from those in power. But they have ways to make their disapproval known. I didn't think much of it at first, but it got grating after a while. It still annoys me every now and then. But I found a way to get over it...mostly."

"How?" Anna asked curiously.

Eugene smiled. "I reminded myself that they were jealous. Every single one of them. At first, it was because I had the Royal Family's favor. Then it was because I was a member of the Royal Family. Whenever any of them look down upon me, I think to myself 'that guy really wishes he was me.' Or at least wishes that he had what I have. Just remember that no matter how low they think of you, they'd trade places with you in a heartbeat. Maybe not for your current position," he amended. "I doubt they'd enjoy being the Queen's personal attendant. But they would kill for the chance to be a future member of the Royal Family. And that's something you have that they never will."

The redhead grinned widely, instantly feeling better. "Thanks, Eugene," she said gratefully.

"Any time."

"But if you're right and I do become Royalty...I'm sure that's a whole new story," Anna continued. "How did you adjust to that?"

As a woman who had been living on the streets four months ago, the idea that she might become a Royal was still hard to wrap her head around. But finally, after months of living in the Castle and courting the Queen...a small part of her had become able to accept it as a frightening and wondrous possibility.

The Prince offered her a small smile. "As soon as I figure it out...I'll let you know."

\

They were here.

Since she was not the hosting monarch, it thankfully wasn't Elsa's duty to welcome King David and King Xander to Corona. That honor fell to her aunt and uncle, who were by now were probably speaking with the second monarch. Due to inclement weather, both of their journeys had been delayed. Xander had arrived at roughly the stroke of midnight. David an hour after-

Crack! A bang of thunder boomed through the night. Laying beside the Queen in their bed, Anna stirred from her sleep. Groaning slightly, her attendant instinctively raised her arms above her face to ward off drops of rain. It was a reaction born from years of sleeping without a roof over her head.

"Everything's fine, go back to sleep, love," Elsa whispered. Gently, she lowered Anna's arms and took the girl into an embrace, using the warmth of her body to remind the redhead that she was safely sheltered away from the storm.

Her eyes shutting once again, Anna laid her head against the Queen's chest and fell back into slumber.

\

Anna could literally feel the tension in the room.

Only four individuals sat at the conference table in front of her. Queen Elsa of Arendelle. King Marcus of Corona. King David of Lucrania. And King Xander of Albion. It was perhaps the most concentrated gathering of power in living memory. And Anna was bearing witness to it.

Standing around the table were perhaps a dozen other people. Each monarch was accompanied by an aide tasked with recording the events as well as one or two personal guards. Since this meeting was between only the sovereigns themselves, that bizarrely meant that Anna was part of the gathering while some of the most influential people in Corona were waiting in the King's Study.

Not that she was allowed to speak, of course. Elsa permitted her occasional outbursts during Council meetings, but as high-level as those were, this was another matter entirely. The Queen had made it very clear. Regardless of how agitated or curious as she became, Anna was to remain as stiff and silent as a statue unless one of the other monarchs pulled out a knife and started slashing.

The meeting had started cordially enough. Each King had shaken hands with his fellows and expressed his wish to see peace. But once talks were underway, Anna had immediately begun to understand how much of a long-shot this conference truly was.

"Ninety-five percent of those veins lie within our territory," King Xander was saying. Compared to the other monarchs she'd seen, Anna did not consider him impressive. He was a tall, slim man; his hair was thinning and graying with age. Atop his head rested a large, circular crown of gold. But unlike than the tasteful tiara worn by Elsa or the sturdy headpieces favored by her aunt and uncle, this diadem did nothing to accentuate his appearance. It was self-important, filled with gaudy precious gems, and sized so big compared to his head that it looked downright obnoxious.

"Albion needs these resources, and they are rightfully ours," Xander continued. "To avoid war, we will be gracious enough to grant you twenty percent of the profits. But no more; we will not be blackmailed."

King David's eyes narrowed. In contrast to his rival, he was young...almost startlingly so. Not compared to Elsa of course, but next to her he was easily the most youthful sovereign at the table. A full head of dark brown hair, calm blue eyes, and an impressive physique served to give him the appearance of a warrior. Anna had been told that he was only thirty-one years of age, making him one of the youngest monarchs on the planet. But while this gave him plenty of energy, it apparently did not serve to strengthen his position. With the noble houses of Lucrania circling the monarchy like hungry cats, David could have benefited from having an appearance that seemed more experienced.

"We both know that is ridiculous," Lucrania's King replied. "No accurate division of that territory has ever been made. Until now, it was not valuable enough to be worth the effort. And with anything less than an equal split of those profits, my position will be too weak to stabilize the divides sweeping across my nation."

Xander sneered. "That is not Albion's concern. Bad harvests are the source of our problems, and even a King can do nothing to control the weather. Your issues, on the other hand, were entirely avoidable. If your father had done his job and kept the aristocracy in check, Lucrania would be stable and prosperous. I will not have my people suffer for the mistakes of your line."

And the bickering continued.

After another hour of arguing, Anna finally was able to watch her mistress put her foot down. "Enough," Elsa said at last. "No one at this table wants war. Lucrania would be torn apart even further. Albion's population would be contending with famine. To say nothing of the tens of thousands who would die and the shockwaves that would run through the global economy."

"What do you propose?" David asked.

Elsa shot a glance at her uncle, who nodded for her to continue. "We had hoped that the two of you would be able to resolve your differences alone. But that does not appear to be the case. Here is what we suggest. Sixty-five percent of the profits shall go to Albion, thirty-five percent to Lucrania. To supplement Albion's needs, Arendelle will trade you significant quantities of wheat at a price substantially below market value. Corona will increase its lumber trade with Lucrania and decrease its fee by ten percent."

"Unacceptable!" Xander fumed.

Elsa sighed. "We're asking both of you to make sacrifices. Arendelle and Corona are both willing to do the same for the sake of peace. It is not a perfect solution; there is none. But this agreement would make certain that Albion will neither face food shortages nor be crushed by debt. Lucrania's monarchy will likewise have enough money to stabilize its situation."

"Would you prefer war?" Marcus added. "There is no resolution in which one of you receives the vast majority of the profits. Not before suffering thousands of deaths and potential economic catastrophe. Is that really a better alternative?"

David shook his head wearily. "Arendelle and Corona should be commended for their commitment to peace. And I understand that your intentions are noble. But this agreement would spell doom for my country. Conservatives would decry me for relying on foreign aid, and nobles would refuse to be bought by money gained from outside assistance. Traditionalists would call me a coward; within five years I would be facing challenges to the throne from all sides."

"And you believe war gives you a better chance?" Elsa demanded.

The King of Lucrania nodded gravely. "Sadly, I do."

"As do I," Xander huffed. "The lords and ladies of my country frown upon even small quantities of fair trade with other nations. They would never stand for such blatant charity. My throne might be maintained, but nearly half of Albion would probably secede before the decade was over. Nobles would band together in the name of tradition and self-reliance, forming their own domains. We may lose a few thousand on the path to victory, but that is better than seeing Albion splinter apart."

Anna looked on sadly. According to Elsa, the armies of each nation were evenly matched, perhaps Albion had the slightest of edges. But both Kings appeared confident in their military's ability to triumph during a conflict. And that meant that they were far more willing to risk war than they would have been otherwise.

"You're overstating the risks to this agreement," Marcus accused. "While there would doubtlessly be some pushback within your nations, I doubt either of you would end up losing your thrones over it. But imagine fighting a war and losing; that would be far more likely to splinter one of your kingdoms apart."

Xander sneered. "You presume to know much of nations that you have rarely set foot in. Albion is confident in its chances of victory. We are willing to grant Lucrania twenty percent of the profits; that alone is generous. But if you dare to challenge us, I can promise that you will not be seeing a single piece of gold from that copper."

"I am reasonable," David remarked. "Lucrania is willing to accept an even split. But we will not be bullied by our neighbors. Nor will we force ourselves to rely on the charity of others. Not when our capabilities on the battlefield so clearly surpass your own."

Anna could perceive the ever growing scowl on Elsa's face as the talks degenerated.

"We outnumber you by five-thousand men; that is preposterous!" Xander claimed.

David offered him a small, vicious smile. "Perhaps. But numbers are not the only thing that decide a conflict. Both our soldiers and our officers train vigorously throughout the year. Our organization and tactics would rout your army from the field in less than a week."

For another thirty minutes, the discussion continued in this manner. It was depressing. Never before had Anna seen her Queen appear so...powerless. No matter what she and her uncle said, Xander and David refused to budge an inch. Both men were clearly dead-set on war. Arendelle and Corona, with all of their wealth and military might, were helpless. The only course of action that would enable them to force their will on the two offending monarchs would be to declare war themselves, which would probably be counterproductive. All it would accomplish was adding many of their own soldiers to the piles of the dead.

And then Anna looked at Elsa. The young Queen's frustration was growing by the minute. But perhaps there was still a course of action she could take. The kingdom of Arendelle was indeed powerless to interfere in this matter. But there were other ways for Elsa to enforce her will than relying upon the kingdom she ruled.

\

Dinner was a frosty affair.

Xander and David were placed on opposite ends of the table, per mutual agreement, but the tension in the air was still palpable. The remainder of the chairs were occupied by Elsa, the Coronan Royal Family, and a scant dozen of high officials from Corona, Albion, and Lucrania who were currently staying in the Castle.

After today's meeting had failed to make progress after three hours of deliberation, the four monarchs had finally agreed to end their talks for today. Tomorrow, they would meet again. But both Xander and David had made it clear that if nothing was accomplished in the next day's discussions, that would be the end of this conference. War would commence.

And so Elsa and her relatives were subjected to a meal so tense that even the wonderful quality of the food couldn't make it enjoyable. The Queen didn't even have Anna by her side throughout the affair. As an official state dinner, her attendant's place was to stand next to the wall behind her monarch and remain alert for threats, not eat alongside her.

It was an hour before Elsa was finally able to excuse herself. Trailed by Anna, she exited the dining hall before asking a servant to send a large meal to their chambers. The least she could do was make certain that the redhead wouldn't have to eat with the rest of the guards, many of whom did not exactly approve of her position by the Queen's side.

The minute the door to their chambers was closed, the two women wrapped themselves in a fierce embrace.

"Is there any hope of an agreement?" Anna asked desperately, her lips an inch below Elsa's ear.

The monarch pulled back to the point that she could look her attendant in the eyes. She knew how much Anna hated the notion of war. Even if Arendelle itself wouldn't be directly involved, the thought of thousands dying over something as mundane as copper profits was enough to make her attendant's blood boil.

"No," Elsa admitted sadly. "They both seem to think they can win a war easily. According to our intelligence, they're both wrong; a conflict between them will be protracted and bloody. I don't understand how both of them could believe such lies, but by the time either of them realize the truth, it will be too late. They'll be committed to war." Without thinking, she lashed out at the wall, her fist hitting the paint with an audible thump. "It's so damn infuriating!" she hissed, finally able to express her emotions freely after a day of negotiations. "And I can't do anything to stop it..."

"Can't you?"

The Queen glanced up in surprise, but Anna seemed to be completely serious. "No. Weren't you listening today? They won't allow themselves to be bought off by Arendelle's resources."

Anna's gaze seemed to take on a new intensity. "I'm not talking about Arendelle," she said firmly. "I'm talking about you."

Elsa frowned. "Me?" she repeated. "I don't understand..."

Her attendant gave her a sigh of exasperation, flapping her arms in frustration. "Elsa, with or without a kingdom, you are the most powerful being that has ever set foot on this planet. Without even trying, you plunged all of Arendelle into a ferocious blizzard after I was shot, and you barely even noticed! To get them to do what you want, you don't need to offer trade deals or threaten to invade. All you need to do is tell them to go along with the agreement you proposed or be prepared to face an eternal win-"

"Absolutely not, Anna!" the Queen nearly shouted. "Can you imagine what would happen if I used my powers to bully other monarchs?! Nations around the world would grow to fear me; the only reason many of them tolerate me today is because Arendelle is known for being peaceful. And Xander and David...even if they cowed to my threat, they would never forget my actions. They'd become lifelong enemies!"

As Anna opened her mouth to protest, the Queen mentally debated freezing the redhead's lips shut. Her attendant's naivety was usually endearing, but at this moment it was quite frankly insane. Still, Anna had the right to speak freely when they were alone, if not as her attendant then as her consort.

"I'm not disputing any of that!" Anna agreed. "Which is why part of the terms you enforced would be to keep your threat a secret. Xander and David would hate you, but what could they do to you, really? Arendelle doesn't trade much with either of them, and it's not as if they could invade us any time soon. Or ever."

Elsa nodded, starting to recover from her shock. "Maybe you have a point on that front," she agreed reluctantly. "But it's still a ridiculous notion. They would both call my bluff in an instant. I think they can judge me well enough to know that I wouldn't condemn thousands to starve and destroy two nations just to prevent this war. I'd be killing more people than would have died in combat!"

"I know that, Elsa. I did have a while to think about this earlier. You wouldn't need to threaten to freeze both countries and ruin their harvests. All you would have to do is say that you would use your powers to destroy the copper veins outright. Or at least make them unobtainable. Make the area around it so hostile that neither country will be getting a dime from it. It's kind of hard to mine for copper when it's buried under twenty feet of snow, isn't it? Say that it's either that or the deal that you proposed."

Anna must have sensed Elsa's newfound hesitation, for she continued. "Even if you had to go through with it, you wouldn't be hurting anyone. It's not like they use that territory to grow crops. Barely anyone even lives there!"

Finally, the Queen shook her head. "Anna...I admit it doesn't sound too terrible on the surface. But it's my responsibility to do what's best for Arendelle. Turning two influential countries into hostile nations..."

"Like I said, there's nothing they can do to us!" the redhead countered. "Think about it, Elsa! You could save thousands of lives without even lifting a finger. Once they realize you're serious, they'll go along with the deal! We both know they're overhyping the dangers of the proposed settlement. Albion and Lucrania would be fine in the long run. And thousands of men will be home with their wives and children next winter...instead of laying dead on a battlefield."

"My responsibility is to Arendelle, not..."

"Bullshit!" Anna slammed her hands down on the counter, audibly cracking the wood. "Those men are your responsibility, and do you know why Elsa?! Because you're the only one who can save them! If you let them die when you had the power to prevent it...you might as well be killing them yourself. You'd do it for your own people!" she declared, her eyes daring Elsa to challenge the statement. The Queen merely averted her gaze to the ground.

"Tell me Elsa," Anna demanded. "What makes the lives of your citizens more valuable than people who live somewhere else?"

Elsa said nothing.

"I'm not talking about this in the context of your position and duties as Queen," the redhead continued. "I'm talking about this in the context of your position as a woman blessed with the power to save countless lives. You say that it might come to bite us in the ass a bit later. So what? Lucrania breaks off its lumber trade with Corona? Their treasury takes a slight hit but your Uncle would find the resources elsewhere. Weigh that against all those lives, Elsa. Real people that are going to die if you don't save them!"

"I..." The Queen paused. Since she was a child, Elsa had vowed to both always put Arendelle first and to use her powers in a benevolent manner (self-defense excepted.) Taking Anna's advice would probably violate both principles. She would become the Witch Queen churches whispered about, a monarch who used her magic to cow other rulers into obeying her will.

"I don't know, Anna," she finally managed.


	35. Chapter 35

An hour into the day's discussions, Elsa couldn't help but begin to zone out. She had woken up with a headache that was only growing with each word spoken. And by now, everyone knew that the talks were pointless. There was nothing either Corona or Arendelle could offer the two offending nations. The continent was about to be consumed by war.

Unless, of course, the Queen of Arendelle personally intervened to stop it. She had lied awake nearly all night, consumed with indecision. What Anna had proposed was crazy. Unthinkable. And yet...it was also the only way to save tens of thousands of lives from an early grave. Was it right for Elsa to interfere, taking the risk of turning Albion and Lucrania against her kingdom? They could never hope to threaten it militarily, but they could create headaches for Arendelle in the future.

She'd actually kicked Anna out of her room last night, bringing her to an empty bedroom down the hall of the Guest Wing and telling the flustered servants that if they had a problem with it, they could take it up with the King. It wasn't that she didn't want Anna around, but the Queen had needed to think this over without the redhead constantly trying to convince her. And today, on the excuse of giving Anna a break, she'd chosen a Royal Guard to attend to her, leaving her personal attendant to wait with Rapunzel and the others. She simply couldn't risk Anna making a scene.

Could she really do this? It went against everything she'd been brought up to believe...everything her parents had taught her about how to use her powers. They were a gift, yes, but that did not mean that she should use them to bend others to her will. If another woman with less empathy and more ambition had been born with her abilities, it was likely that she could have dominated the entire world by this point. Elsa could never risk taking that plunge. She needed to exercise restraint with her magic, using it only to protect herself and utilize it for the benefit of others. Not for aggression.

Anna meant well. That much was certain. But was it truly wise for the Queen to defer to her judgment? Elsa was more experienced than Anna, and almost certainly more intelligent. When it came to matters of politics, economics, diplomacy, and ruling, the monarch was clearly the wiser one.

Finally Xander stood up, his chair sliding backwards with an audible screech. "This conference is over," he declared. "Albion is prepared for war. I take no joy in this decision, but I will not back down to foreign interests."

"Then the history books will know who to blame for this mess," David challenged, rising to his feet as well. "I thank Arendelle and Corona for their efforts, but it is clear that your obstinance will not be denied. If war is upon us...then so be it."

Elsa clenched her teeth in frustration. To her left, Marcus's face had grown red with anger, but his head was bowed in defeat. He had tried. Done everything he could to avert a pointless war. But even the King of Corona knew that a peaceful resolution was out of the question. It probably always had been.

Before Xander and David could turn to the door, the Queen of Arendelle finally spoke.

"This was not a decision that I came to lightly," she said. "I had truly believed that the two of you could solve this dispute without resorting to war. But apparently, the peaceful reputations of your countries have been exaggerated. Although it pains me to do this...I will not allow your two nations to come to blows. Not when it will destroy thousands of lives and could have so easily been averted."

Every King in the room stared at her. Including Marcus. Elsa had deliberately not informed her uncle of what she was about to do. Hopefully his genuine surprise would convince David and Xander that Corona had nothing to do with her ultimatum. Its trade with Lucrania was much more important than Arendelle's exchanges with either offending nation.

"You dare presume to command a monarch?" Xander demanded. "Your authority may command all of Arendelle, but it means nothing outside its borders. Clearly, a Child Queen still has much to learn. If you think I will alter my decision merely because you ask me to, then you are sorely mistaken."

Elsa stood up, smoothly rising from her seat. "I know that," she agreed. "I do not pretend to think that I am at liberty to command either of you. But I am also aware that it is within my power-not as a Queen, but as a sorceress-to ensure that neither of you will ever see the smallest of profits from that copper. Here is what I propose," she began. The longer she talked, the more pronounced the outrage grew on the faces of two Kings...as well as the surprise of a third. "Albion and Lucrania will both accept the agreement offered yesterday, and claim that they came to this decision with minimal input from myself and King Marcus. If you refuse...I will use my abilities to plunge the disputed territory into a perpetual winter. I will create a blizzard so strong that the copper veins will be crushed beneath dozens of feet of snow. As long as I live, any mining will be utterly impossible."

She hated to do this. But after hours of quiet deliberation, Elsa had realized that Anna was right. The Queen was still by far the more capable one when it came to nearly every facet of serving as a monarch. Nevertheless, there was a single area within which Anna would always be Elsa's superior.

Morality.

Anna had grown up a thief. But she had done it in the most ethically way possible. Faced with the threat of starvation and lack of shelter, Elsa would never have possessed the restraint to only steal paltry amounts of gold from the extremely wealthy. This issue wasn't a question of what was the smart option to take. It was a question of what was right. And so her attendant's wisdom had been accepted.

She knew how bizarre it was to allow the words of someone so inexperienced, even if that someone was her consort, to drastically influence such an important decision. But Elsa would not allow pride and convention to hobble her actions. Anna had presented her case and convinced the Queen that this was the choice she should make, not through manipulation or seduction but with reason.

"You honestly believe that we would fall for such a ruse?" Xander challenged. "We know of your abilities, but I doubt that they would be capable of such a feat. Even you aren't powerful enough to bury an entire territory under a wall of snow."

Elsa shook her head. "Do not be so certain. My entire kingdom was attacked by a blizzard when I panicked during an assassination attempt. Without even trying, I created a storm so powerful that the whole country would have been buried in ice within hours if I did not regain control. Surely word of that incident has reached your ears. Using my powers to cut off, if not destroy, the copper veins is well within my abilities."

"So the Snow Queen is using her magic to coerce other kingdoms into compliance," David remarked. "Why not just demand our thrones while you're at it?"

The Queen meet his gaze. "My only concern is to save thousands of lives," she repeated. "I'm not using my abilities to increase my own power...or improve the position of Arendelle. Neither of you may believe it, but I am acting not only in the best interests of your people, but also of yourselves. A war between your countries would be protracted and costly, enough to jeopardize both of your positions."

"And cowing to your demands wouldn't?" Xander spat. Elsa glowered at him in response, doing her best to ignore the pounding in her head.

"No one has to know that I made this ultimatum, all you have to do is say that an agreement was reached. And while the terms may not please some of your people, I am almost certain that neither of you will face succession or revolt because of them. Many, I am sure, will be grateful to have avoided war. Especially the common people who would have suffered death and famine because of it," Elsa replied. The tension in the room was mounting, but the Queen refused to lose control of her emotions. She kept her face stoic, appearing calm and reasonable in the face of this determined opposition.

"On the other hand," she continued as David and Xander continued to glower at her, "Losing all of the copper veins and receiving nothing in return would anger far more of them. If you refuse this offer, I will make the terms of this ultimatum public. Many of your people will be angry at me, but I suspect that many will also be grateful for my efforts to avert a war. And all of them will be displeased with their Kings."

David opened his mouth to speak, but Xander beat him to it. "You're bluffing," he hissed.

"I assure you that I am not," she spoke truthfully. "There will not be a war. Either you profit from this agreement or see the copper veins destroyed by my abilities; whatever decision you make, there will absolutely be no reason to fight. And as long as you do not attempt to retaliate against Arendelle in the future, I vow to keep the knowledge that you...acquiesced to my proposal a secret from the public. If not..."

"Blackmail," David accused.

The Queen of Arendelle nodded. "Perhaps," she admitted. "But as long as you agree to this deal, I promise that you face no threat from me. As I said, my only goal is to prevent conflict. I will not use either my magic or this information for personal gain...or to strengthen Arendelle's position."

"You expect us to believe that?" Xander demanded.

"If I wanted to use my magic to increase my power, gentlemen, I would have certainly done it by now. In the five years since my coronation, I could have taken over this entire continent if I so desired. All it would take to conquer these kingdoms are threats and demonstrations of my abilities. I am not a tyrant. I will never be a tyrant. And if I became one, my possession of this information would be the least of your concerns," she countered.

Finally, David turned to Marcus. "And you are comfortable with this?" he asked. "You will permit your niece to threaten us with her sorcery? I thought better of you, Marcus."

For the first time, Elsa felt a flicker of fear at one of their arguments. Would her uncle be okay with this? In the short run it wouldn't change anything; nothing he said would convince her to back down. But the last thing she wanted to do was sour relations with the Coronan Royal Family. Her family.

The King of Corona sighed. "Elsa did not consult me about this ultimatum," he began, looking at his niece pointedly. "And I admit that I am uneasy with the notion of a monarch, any monarch, using her powers to force other rulers to do her bidding." At his words, Elsa felt her stomach drop.

Marcus sighed. "But I will make an exception in this case. A war between the two of you would be disastrous for all four of our nations. I don't pretend to like this situation, but I will support her decision. I suggest that the two of you accept it."

Albion's King returned to his seat, banging his hands against the table as he fell. "Unholy witchcraft," he spat, his fists shaking with rage. "If this agreement turns against me, the destruction of Albion will be on your hands! I will accept your proposal- you've clearly left me with no damn choice!- but if the details of this meeting are ever spread amongst the public, I will never trade with either Arendelle or Corona as long as I am alive. Even if we have so little food that I myself am starving!"

"...As will I," David conceded reluctantly.

\

The remainder of their meeting was spent ironing out the terms of their arrangement- who would mine the veins and when the profits would be divided. Both of the offending Kings were beyond furious with her; Xander in particular looked like he wanted to wring her neck, but each had at least had the presence of mind to accept her ultimatum.

They knew of her powers...of the storm she had easily cast over Arendelle. And it had been clear that she wasn't bluffing. Both of their egos were probably fuming, but in the end Elsa had simply left them no alternative. Most monarchs, when it came down to it, took the option that allowed them to retain control over their thrones. And if the Queen had carried out her threat, neither of them would have remained King for long.

And in the end, that was that. An agreement was signed after three more long hours of deliberation, following which David and Xander each left the room, planning to leave the country immediately and return to their homes. Apparently they were too angry to remain even one more night in the Coronan Palace, as royal custom dictated. Given the Queen's growing migraine, this was a decision she was grateful for.

Part of Elsa still couldn't believe that she had done it. She had bowed to Anna's advice (a fact that would remain between the two of them) and used her magic to bully other monarchs into complying with her demands. One day, surely, there would be ramifications. The Queen wasn't sure what, exactly, but down the road Xander at least would seek some form of revenge. David had seemed angry enough that he wouldn't be accepting invitations to Corona's next ball, but he was nowhere near as pissed as his counterpart had been. Hopefully, with time Lucrania's King at least would get over this incident.

\

"You're amazing!" Anna shouted when they returned to their chambers for the night. "I mean...I knew that already, but...wow! You actually did it! You said you would, but when you said I couldn't come part of me was just nervous that you were only saying that to-"

Raising her hand and rubbing her temple, Elsa gave an audible sigh. "Thanks, Anna," she managed. "But while I know this was the right decision...it doesn't mean there aren't going to be consequences. Either now or sometime down the road, one of them might seek revenge."

The redhead's face fell only slightly. "Maybe," she agreed. "But we can deal with that after we find out whoever is behind these attacks. One problem at a time, right! And at least your Uncle seemed okay with it."

Elsa nodded. It was true. In a private meeting following the conference, consisting of herself and the Coronan Royal Family, the details of what had transpired had been relayed to her other relatives. Marcus mentioned that he wished that Elsa would have told him of her plan before revealing it to the other monarchs, but otherwise he did not seem angry with her decision. If anything, he was probably relieved. A war would have affected Corona far more than Arendelle. And like Anna, he wasn't overly fond of seeing soldiers die in droves.

The others had been surprised, but they had likewise expressed their approval of her actions. Part of Elsa couldn't help but think that the reason for this was partially because they knew that any retaliation would be focused on Arendelle, not Corona. Still, the Queen of Arendelle was relieved to not have to go through another argument. Her head felt like it was going to split open, and Elsa's magic was not effective against headaches.

Maybe Rapunzel's might be, she thought to herself.

"Are you packed, Anna?" the Queen asked.

The attendant shook her head. "No," she replied. "I'll do it after dinner. What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

Elsa stared at her. "We're leaving tonight, Anna," she revealed. "I've already told my relatives. Unfortunately, the storm is making it far too dangerous for the Ice Queen to move into the Royal Harbor, and the winds aren't expected to die down for at least another five days. I've relayed a message to Captain Pierce; he's going to meet us at Torun. It's a larger port about a day's journey to the east-"

"What?!" Anna interrupted, the lone word setting Elsa's skull on fire. "We just got here! We never even got to tour the city!" she protested. "And your family...you barely get to see them! Don't you want to catch up with your cousins before we-"

"Enough, Anna," the Queen commanded. "I would enjoy staying for a few days, but I can't afford to remain outside Arendelle any longer than I have to. We're leaving in an hour, they're already preparing the carriage. Rapunzel will be accompanying us, she never misses the chance to interact with her people and we could use a guide, but I'll have to wait to see the rest for a few months. Now come on, I suggest you get packed."

The redhead glowered at her. "You've got to be kidding me! Elsa, Arendelle isn't going anywhere. You can afford to enjoy a few days of peace with your cousins before we go! And you might not see them for months! The kingdom can wait one more day; you should spend some time with your family when you have the chance."

"Is that so?" Elsa asked sarcastically. "And what do you know about family, Anna?"

The instant she said the words, the Queen regretted them. But it was too late. In the span of three seconds, shock, grief, and finally anger passed through her attendant's face. Her eyes were widened in what could only be described as pure rage.

"Anna, I-"

The redhead turned away, beginning to stomp towards the bedroom door. "I'll meet you at the carriage, Your Majesty," she hissed. Despite herself, Elsa found her body flinching at the words. The monarch had seen Anna angry before, although it was rare occurrence. But it only took a single sentence from Anna for the Queen to realize that this was an entirely new level.

The redhead made her way to the open door. She grabbed the handle as she walked through.

SLAM!

Her attendant shut the door behind her with incredible force. As Anna let go and began to walk down the hallway with what Elsa would call tranquil fury, the metal hinges cracked before snapping in half.

Elsa's head pounded once again as the wooden door fell to the ground with an audible thud.


	36. Chapter 36

"Let me get this straight," Rapunzel demanded. "Because she advised you to spend some time with your relatives while you had a headache, you mocked your girlfriend- Your impoverished, orphaned, girlfriend who jumped in front of an arrow for you! -about not having a family of her own? Wow, I just...wow. I have no words."

Elsa winced. It had been a half hour since the incident in her bedchambers. She wasn't sure where Anna had gone off to. Desperate both to relieve her migraine and for some advice, the Queen had turned to her cousin. Rapunzel had been happy to provide a tear, which when placed into Elsa's hair had immediately dispelled her headache. But the Princess wasn't as eager to help Elsa with her other problem.

"It was a terrible thing to say...I know," the Queen admitted. "But I don't understand why she's this upset. I'm sure she knows that I didn't mean it. It was a slip of the tongue, said in the heat of the moment, and-

Rapunzel gave a groan of exasperation, raising her hands to her forehead. "Honestly, Elsa...you're impossible. You know, Anna once told me that she was afraid that she didn't deserve you. At the time, I told her that was crazy. But right now, I'm beginning to think she was right. Though my reasoning is the opposite of what hers was."

"It wasn't that bad..." the Queen protested.

"Yes. Oh yes, it was. Imagine this, Elsa. Imagine that you and I were arguing about something stupid, and that in the middle of it, I mocked you for having two dead parents. Even if I apologized immediately...how would you feel?"

The Queen knew exactly how she would feel. Even Rapunzel bringing them up in this context made her clench her fists in anger. If someone actually taunted her about them, Elsa probably would be adding a new ice sculpture to her gardens.

And it's probably even worse for Anna, the Queen realized. I feel the pain of their loss every day, and I at least still have a loving family willing to support me. Anna never even got to have even a single relative in the first place. The only person she has in the world is...me. And I just kicked her in the teeth.

"I'll make it up to her," the monarch promised. "I'll buy her a-"

Rapunzel raised a hand imperiously. "Stop. Just...stop. Elsa, your family's personal vault makes you a billionaire. And that means that anything you get for her costs you essentially nothing. You honestly think that because you have a lot of money that means you can purchase her forgiveness and forget about it? It's not going to be that easy."

The Queen sighed. "Then what do I do?" she asked, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice.

Rapunzel shrugged. "Give her some space for a few days. Then fall to your knees and beg for forgiveness, I suppose. That's really all you can do." The Princess sighed. "Right now, go say your goodbyes to everyone else, then go wait by the carriage. I'm going to find Anna. I'll give you twenty minutes, then give her a chance to say her farewells."

\

Rapunzel continued down the hall. Tracking down Anna had been surprisingly easy, thanks to one of the guards that the Princess had questioned having seen a certain angry redhead stomping down the hall. Apparently, the attendant had confined herself to one of the spare rooms in an effort to avoid seeing her consort for as long as she could.

On her way, she passed by a young maid. As the woman offered her a curtsy, the Princess decided to do one of her friends a favor.

"Always good to see you, Lila," she greeted. "How's your arm?" The previous week, the maid had slipped on a puddle of bathwater early in the morning and broken her wrist catching herself. Rapunzel had seen to it immediately.

Lila smiled. "Better, Your Highness. Thank you so much...your magic is a blessing of the gods."

The Princess grinned modestly. "Happy to help." She paused. "I hate to ask, but since Miss Anna of Arendelle is...indisposed at the moment, I was wondering if you could stop by Queen Elsa's guest chambers and pack the attendant's belongings? There's not much, just some outfits and a few weapons. Elsa's things have already been removed."

The woman nodded. "Of course, Your Highness. Shall I have them brought to Her Majesty's carriage?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you Lila."

Bidding her farewells to the maid, Rapunzel continued down the hall, quickly finding herself in front of the door described to her earlier. Taking a deep breath, she swung the wooden structure aside and walked into the bedroom.

"Go away E- oh, it's you," Anna said. She was sitting on the room's bed, palms resting dejectedly on her knees. The redhead wasn't crying now, but Rapunzel could see the remnants of several drying tears glistening on her freckled cheeks.

Pity flowed through her. Anna had gone through her difficult childhood remarkably intact, but even she couldn't escape such an upbringing without enduring a few cracks in her armor. And now the person she cared about most had abruptly decided to take a swing at the largest of those fissures with a giant pickaxe.

Rapunzel sighed, sitting on the bed next to her. "Elsa told me what happened," she started. "I can't believe she would say something like that, even despite all the stress of the last few days. She's really sorry-" Anna gave off an uncharacteristically sarcastic laugh -"But I don't blame you for being upset."

"And now she's had you come and fetch me. Are we leaving already, I lost track of the time- Shit, I've got to pack-"

"I took care of it, Anna," the Princess interrupted. "And Elsa didn't send me. She told me what happened, I told her what a bitch she was, and I went to find you. I'm not here to ask you to forgive her, frankly, I wouldn't expect you to make up with her for a few days. I came to make sure you're alright."

Anna said nothing, but when Rapunzel wrapped an arm around her comfortingly, the redhead seemed to lean into her embrace.

"I don't pretend to understand what you've going through," Rapunzel said. "I didn't grow up a Princess, but I never had to worry about hunger. Gothel, for all her faults, made sure that I was well taken care of until the end. But I do understand what it's like to be alone."

At that, Anna finally turned her gaze towards the Princess. "Alone?" she questioned. "I don't understand."

Rapunzel sighed. "Gothel said she was my mother. And I believed her. Part of me did love her; she was all I had in the world. But at the same time, another part of me knew that something wasn't right between us. I can't explain it exactly, but deep down I understood that I couldn't rely on her. That I couldn't trust her. During the moments when I came closest to realizing that...it felt like I had no one in the world to turn to but myself."

It was stupid, she knew, to compare her experiences to Anna's. They didn't even compare on a remote level.

"What does that have to do with me?"

The Princess frowned. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...I have the faintest, slightest, idea of how you're feeling. Growing up, there was no one you could lean on. No family or close friends. And as much as you can repress it, I'm sure that that experience still hurts. Then you met Elsa, and you weren't alone anymore. You finally had someone to turn to. Now that person has brought up your painful childhood in the worst way possible. Normally, you'd turn to Elsa when something like this happened, but she's the one to blame."

Anna was silent for a moment. Then she nodded. "I guess," the redhead agreed. "But how does this help me?"

"Look, Elsa's the most important person in your life. Ninety-five percent of the time, she's going to be the one you turn to when you need anything. And I get that," Rapunzel answered. "But I just wanted to remind you that she's not the only person in your life. If you truly needed me to, I would set sail for Arendelle immediately if you sent a letter asking that of me. Elsa's not the only friend you have."

The redhead smiled ever so slightly. "So what do you think I should do?" she asked.

That's the second time I've been asked that question. Though I guess it's only fair that these two are kinda my responsibility, since I'm the one who helped set them up. "I'm sure you can guess how sorry she is. Until you're ready to forgive her, just back off for a few days. I'm sure she'll understand that you want some space; she'll wait a few days before coming to you herself."

"Okay," Anna agreed. "As soon as I stop wanting to throw her into a wall, I'll talk to her. If you could suggest to her that I be removed from my position for a few days...and maybe let me ride with you back to the Ice Queen, I think that'd help."

"Of course."

Anna's hands moved to her neck. "And...can you hold onto this?" she asked, unclasping her snowflake necklace and placing it in her friend's hands. It's beautiful, but right now I can barely stand the sight of it."

\

Leaving the Coronan Palace was uneventful. After a heartfelt goodbye to her relatives, Elsa made her way to the first of the carriages being prepared. Rapunzel, with Anna in tow, showed up a few minutes later.

To her dismay but not her surprise, Anna climbed into the second carriage being made ready for the Princess. Rapunzel had come over briefly to explain that her attendant was asking for a few days off, or at least, a few days she could spend out of Elsa's immediate presence. Since she still had plenty of guards and Anna would still be close enough to help fend off an attack, the Queen had reluctantly agreed.

When they left it was about three hours away from sunset. The two carriages, surrounded by about a dozen horses upon which sat Elsa and Rapunzel's guards, rode across the flat land at a moderate pace. According to Rapunzel, there was a town roughly five hours away from the Palace that contained a large and well-kept inn. It was perfect, especially considering that it was barely out of the way to Torun. Word had already been sent ahead to reserve its rooms exclusively for their party, and a large dinner was probably already being prepared.

\

It was called The Broken Arrow. As had been expected, all of its rooms had been set aside for Elsa, Rapunzel, and their guards. Despite the late hour, a meal had been made ready for their arrival. The innkeeper, a friendly man adorned with black hair and a set of professional clothes, made certain to welcome his royal guests with all of the hospitality he could muster as soon as their horses were deposited in the building's adjacent stables..

The tavern was large, much more so than the inn she had stayed the night in before meeting Anna for the first time. It was staffed by a team of three cooks and five maids, in addition to the innkeeper himself.

"This way," their host guided them to a long wooden table that had been set up in the main room. "My staff will see that your things are taken to your rooms. Now please, sit. Dinner will be brought out momentarily. I apologize if we appear short-staffed- Jacqueline still hasn't reported for her evening shift," he explained with visible annoyance.

Standing beside Anna, Rapunzel raised her hand. "I'm sure everything will be fine, thank you. However, I will be retiring to my room for the night. The storm kept me up late last night and I am in great need of some extra sleep."

Ha! I think Eugene is more responsible for your exhaustion than a bit of rain. I bet he was 'comforting' you until well past midnight.

The innkeeper nodded. "Of course. Hilda, show the Princess to her room upon the top floor. Don't hesitate to tell her if you need anything at all, Your Highness." The maid in question cringed nervously, but Rapunzel sent her a warm smile that seemed to help her relax. Together, they made their way to the stairs at the back of the room and began their ascent to the third floor.

Elsa briefly caught a look of disappointment on Anna's face as the Princess made her decision.

A few minutes later, the remainder of the party was seated at the table. Elsa took the head chair, of course. Anna chose to sit at the other end of the table, in a position that allowed her to avoid the Queen's gaze as much as possible. The monarch had been hoping to shoot her a small, apologetic smile, but her attendant refused to even meet her eyes.

\

Anna seriously considered copying Rapunzel's example and asking to be taken upstairs to her room, but the hunger in her chest forced her to decide against it. It seemed that the only negative side effect of Elsa's magic was increasing her need of food, which she supposed made sense considering all the extra energy she had now.

She had to admit, the meal did look exquisite. Soups, breads, and meats of all kinds were laid out on the table before them. Anna couldn't wait to start diving in (the steak in particular looked delicious.) Unfortunately, the redhead had no choice but to wait as one of Elsa's guards tasted each course of food, one by one. Poison was always a potential danger to a monarch, and in a foreign country during times such as this it was especially prudent to be careful.

After the man in question did not keel over for two minutes after finishing and sat down with nothing more than a yawn, the party was finally able to begin eating.

Anna eagerly devoured at least one sample of everything set before her. But no matter how gratifying it was to finally sate her hunger, the redhead couldn't get her mind off the Queen at the end of the table.

How could she say that? I wonder how she'd like it if I taunted her about having two parents killed by a storm? I don't care if she had a fucking headache! I want to pull her hair out!

Rapunzel had been right. The knowledge that her parents had abandoned her...had never even wanted her, still stung immensely. And even though she wanted to believe that they'd had no choice but to give her up, part of her couldn't help but think that they'd simply never meant to have her in the first place. The world's general scorn towards her since her birth and (especially) her failed adoption hadn't helped to soothe that anxiety.

Elsa had done much to fill the void that her nonexistent relatives left available. But right now, it felt like she'd been betrayed yet again. Deep down, Anna knew that the Queen's words hadn't been genuine, but for the moment she couldn't even look at the monarch without feeling a rise of anger.

Bitch complains that she doesn't have time to see her family. Bullshit! She has no idea of what she has...what I've never had! And she thinks she can lecture me?

All around her, Royal Guards were chatting as animatedly as they could while remaining respectful of their Queen. Except for one, who looked tired enough to pass out, they all seemed enrapture in camaraderie and friendship.

Damn Rapunzel had to just abandon me here! Didn't she know no one would want to talk to me? A lot of these guys still don't like me for being Elsa's attendant. Jealous pricks.

From the kitchen, she could hear the innkeeper and his employees enjoying a meal of their own. A part of her wanted to go and join their table, at least then she might have the smallest chance of finding someone she could relate to, but the redhead knew how ridiculous that would look.

"You alright, John?" a Royal Guard said through a yawn of his own. All around her, the sounds of conversation were dimming. Evidently, the desire for sleep was catching up with all of them. The man she assumed to be John nodded sleepily, but Anna could see his eyelids drooping.

Bored, but not tired herself, Anna's eyes surveyed the rest of the room. Nothing interested her save for the maid Anna recognized as Hilda rising from her seat at the kitchen table and excusing herself, expressing a desire to check up on the Princess. The attendant watched the young brunette leave the room with a heavy heart, wishing she could join her and leave behind the rest of the guests. Now that she was full, nothing could distract her from the resentment she was feeling for all thirteen of her companions.

Clunk!

Anna's head swerved to the left. A guard- John -had just collapsed face first onto the table! The guard sitting next to him shook his shoulder, but the unconscious man made no movement in reply.

"Is he...still breathing?" Elsa asked from the head of the table with an urgent yet somehow sleepy tone. With a bolt of clarity, Anna understood the reason for her worry. John had been the one to test the food. Anything he might have ingested...

Another guard put a hand to John's neck. "Yes...your Majesty," he mumbled tiredly. "Pulse seems normal. Probably just tired from riding out in the rain..."

Elsa rose from her seat weakly. "No. Something's wrong..." she managed. "The food..."

This time from the kitchen, another clang sounded. Then another...and another, this one accompanied by the sound of silverware falling to the floor.

Anna swerved to her right as the Royal Guard beside her collapsed. His feet fell out from under him, allowing his chair to fall backwards and hit the floor hard enough for the wood to crack.

All around her, the men tried to react. One of them even managed to draw his sword and begin to rise before consciousness deserted him. But it was too late. Far too late. Anna watched, paralyzed with horror, as every single guard in the room collapsed. Some were lucky enough to simply slump onto the table. Others fell to the floor in a mangled heap. Judging by what she heard from the other table, those in the kitchen had met a similar fate.

No...

Only one other person in the room remained conscious. Elsa was hunched forward at the head of the table, small spurts of magic flying from her palms and flowing uselessly into the wood. Her eyes were alight with panicked desperation.

"Anna-"

The Queen collapsed to the floor.

"Elsa!" she ran over to her monarch, kicking aside the chairs in her way. Dropping to her knees, she cradled the Queen's head in her arms. A thin line of blood was spreading from where her skull had made contact from the ground.

Please please please gods please...

To her immense relief, Elsa's pulse was as strong as ever. A quick look at her chest confirmed that the monarch was breathing normally. Save for her small head injury, for all intents and purposes the Queen was simply asleep. Hopefully.

"Help...someone! No...AAAAAAH!"

Anna leapt to her feet as a loud scream erupted from the stairway. Rapunzel. The redhead hesitated for only the briefest instant. There was nothing she could do for Elsa at the moment. Both the staff members and the guards were all unconscious. And the only person who might be able to assist them currently sounded like she was seconds away from death.

The attendant dashed up the stairs, bounding up them five at a time. She made her way to the top floor within seconds, whereupon another scream told her exactly which door she needed to open.

Anna rush forward, plowing straight though the wooden door and smacking it off its hinges. Hilda stood in front of her, a long knife that glistened with red liquid clutched in her hand. Kneeling in front of her was...

Oh gods.

Rapunzel was slumped in front of the bed, weakly holding out her small dagger above her head in her right hand. Anna's heart stopped as she took in the location of the Princess's other hand. It was sitting on the floor in front of Rapunzel, along with over half of her left arm. A pool of blood was emanating from the Princess's limb; it had been sliced off just above the elbow.

As Hilda raised her blade, ready to strike again, Anna's instincts kicked in. The redhead leapt forward at superhuman speed, grabbing the maid's wrist mid-swing. Her enemy barely had time to gasp in surprise before Anna slammed her into the adjacent wall. She grabbed Hilda's wrist as hard as she could, eliciting a satisfying cry of pain as the bone cracked. The knife hit the floor with a loud clang.

Rapunzel's agonized cries of pain filled her ears. But, knowing that the Princess could heal herself, Anna focused her attention on the maid. "What the fuck-" she slammed her into the wall again- "Are you doing?! Who are you working for?! What did you do to Elsa?! Tell me or I swear to the gods I'll break your skull!"

The maid met her gaze. Even clouded with anger, Anna could see the panic in the other woman's eyes. "H-how are you-? That was pure Valerian extract!" she sputtered desperately.

"What is that?!"

Hilda winced. "Nothing! It just puts people to sleep! The Queen will be fine, I promise! Just asleep for a few hours!"

Anna's breathing calmed down slightly at her words, but she didn't let her enemy know that. Elsa would live…though this did mean that Rapunzel's tears would be useless. Sleep wasn't an injury.

"I hope so, for your sake!" she growled. "Why did you try to poison us? Talk. Now."

"They paid me to- promised me a fortune. They'd heard you were coming here...please, just let me go! They're the ones responsible for this; they'll probably be here soon!"

The attendant briefly glanced over her shoulder. Rapunzel, thank the gods, had managed to close her wound with a tear. The Princess was now sitting on the bed, still in shock but slowly recovering.

Satisfied, Anna rounded upon Hilda again. The details were becoming rapidly clear to her. Someone had found out where they were headed before they left the Coronan Palace and ridden ahead of them (their destination hadn't exactly been a closely guarded secret, and their carriages hadn't been traveling fast.) Whoever was behind this had sent an agent to pay off one of the maids, correctly assuming there would be one willing to cooperate in exchange for a hefty sum of gold.

The redhead had a feeling that the missing maid- Jacqueline, was her name? -had a very good reason for being late to her shift. Hilda had likely been the second staff member approached; the first had refused to assist in the scheme and been silenced. Hilda had accepted and been provided with the only type of poison slow-acting enough to get past the Queen's tester- which thankfully appeared to have been nothing more than a sleep draught. But when Rapunzel had broken off, the maid had taken it upon herself to silence the only witness. No sense in becoming rich if you were going to turn into a fugitive in the process, after all.

"Let you go?!" she demanded. "I don't think so. Tell me whose coming and I promise I won't kill you!"

This wasn't one of the trained assassins she'd faced before, willing to die for their cause. This was a frightened, greedy maid who was far out of her depth. In response to her words, Hilda nodded profusely. "The man I talked to said that the King would be bringing in his men as soon as their scout...he's watching the building...saw that Queen Elsa was incapacitated. They're going to kill her..."

Anna had heard enough. She pulled the maid back slightly before smacking her head into the wall. It wasn't hard enough to kill, but the maid would be unconscious for at least as long as her victims.

"Rapunzel," the attendant turned around hurriedly. The Royal's breathing was finally calming now, and at last the Princess spoke.

"A-Anna? What the hell is...?"

To her dismay, the redhead was now able to take in the extent of the damage. Rapunzel's left arm was still strewn across the floor; her magic had only been enough to close the wound. Even her abilities couldn't reattach severed limbs; anything removed from the body was dead.

A small stump was all that now protruded from her left shoulder.

It was a terrible event. But far worse would be on the horizon if they didn't get out of here.

"Let's go!" she lunged forward, taking the Princess by her remaining hand and hauling her off the bed. Rapunzel did her best to keep up with her as Anna all but dragged the Royal down the stairs, but she was still clearly dazed.

"Elsa and everyone else were knocked out by some kind of poison- I'm resistant somehow -they'll wake up in a few hours. But they'll be here in minutes...you two have to get out of here!" As they arrived back in the dining room, Rapunzel gasped at the horrifying scene laid out before her. Hardly pausing, Anna dragged the Princess forward and scooped Elsa up with one arm.

She hauled the two Royals out of the back door as fast as her feet could carry her. Moving around the corner of the building, they arrived at the stables in seconds. And as Anna went inside and brought forth a horse next to the Princess, Rapunzel finally seemed to fully recover her wits.

"What are you doing, Anna!" she demanded.

A distant shout made her turn around.

Her stomach dropped. A few hundred meters from where they stood, a large group of men were hurrying down the road. Even at this distance, she could see the glint of the weapons in their hands and the armor on their chests. They weren't riding horses, but Anna was willing to bet they had plenty of mounts available nearby.

There's at least thirty of them, and they've seen us. We leave now and we'll be run down within a mile.

"It's the Queen!" a voice yelled.

Anna grabbed the Princess by the waist and hauled her atop the horse. "Grab the reins with your hand, can you ride?"

Rapunzel nodded, leaning forward and grabbing hold of the rope with her right hand.

To their immense fortune, the Princess of Corona was an expert at riding horses. But in this state she would be easily overtaken, especially with the burden she was going to have to carry.

Rapunzel gasped as Anna lifted Elsa's unconscious form onto the horse, depositing the Queen between her cousin's right arm and the horse's head...and spreading her legs on either side of the animal.

"Ride as fast as you can! I'll hold them off!" Anna shouted.

The Princess's eyes widened in horror. "No, they'll-!" she began to protest. By now, the men were running straight for them. Even slowed by their armor and weapons, they'd be on them within thirty seconds.

Anna's gaze hardened. "Thisis my duty! It's the only way! I'll buy you enough time and then get clear!" she argued, fooling neither of them.

"No! Anna-!" Rapunzel started.

"Tell Elsa I love her!" Before the Princess could argue again, Anna swung around to the back of the horse and whipped the poor animal with a powerful smack of her hand. He shot forward, carrying Rapunzel's next protest into the wind.

To her relief, the Princess managed to keep both herself and the Queen in the saddle; they began riding off into the night. The heavy cloud cover and flat ground would make them very difficult to track...if Anna could delay their pursuers from getting to their own horses for a few precious minutes. And she would. No matter what the cost. She was fully armed with all of her gear. And she was ready to fight.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face the onslaught.


	37. Chapter 37

"Get to the horses!" one of the soldiers shouted, gesturing to the fleeing Royals. "And shoot the girl!"

Anna's heart lurched. Now that they were close enough, she could see that there were at least forty well-armed men opposing her. Wisely, it seemed, whoever was behind this was taking no chances with the Ice Queen of Arendelle.

The attendant's abilities were still growing more powerful; every day she woke up faster and stronger. She was significantly more deadly than even when she had been on her ill-fated journey. But never before had she faced such odds.

She drew her sword just in time. Thirty feet away, the crossbowmen at the front of the onrushing mob raised their weapons and fired. Anna shifted to the right; the first bolt flew harmlessly past. The next two were on target, but both were sliced in half by two quick cuts of her icy blade.

By now, the lead swordsmen were almost upon her. Before the first man could close the distance between them, Anna's free hand made its way down to her belt. Two seconds later, her target was crumbling to his knees...a dagger lodged in his neck. Beside him, his allies stumbled in their movements as shock took hold.

Their hesitation gave Anna just enough time to get clear. With a powerful leap, she jumped atop the roof of the stables. She ran across the wooden structure, knowing that the archers were already getting their next shots into position. She dropped to the ground behind the stables, out of their line of sight for a moment.

"Forget the bitch. Saddle up and get after the Queen!"

Damn. She'd hoped they would waste time hunting her down. Now she had no choice but to go on the offensive.

She ran to the right, making her way to the back of the inn. The building was nearly fifty feet high, well out of her jumping range. Spotting an ideal handhold about halfway up, Anna leapt into the air. Her fingers closed on a second story windowsill, latching her to the wall. Another five precious seconds and Anna had climbed up the rest of the way.

The redhead vaulted onto the roof. Calling upon her balance, she ran up the slope and perched herself on the very top of the building. A glance down at the ground confirmed her worst fears. Three men had already led three of the horses out of the stables and were preparing to mount.

I should have killed the horses in there when I had the chance. Anna couldn't help but think. Their own mounts are probably a bit farther away.

She threw her second knife just as the first man climbed onto his chosen horse. Gasps of surprise sounded from the men as another of their fellows was struck from the darkness. Her next two daggers were thrown with equal precision, fatally impaling the next two would-be riders before they could spur the horses to a gallop.

"Up there!"

"Shoot her!"

Anna vaulted forward, sliding down the roof. Arrows whizzed overhead, but the darkness impaired her enemies' aim. Kicking up shingles as she descended, Anna managed to stop herself just as she reached the edge of the roof. She ran along it as best she could, ignoring the cries from below.

Before they could fire again, Anna made her way to the edge of the inn. A narrow alley was all that separated it from the next building. Bracing herself, the attendant dropped to the ground.

"Ah.." she grunted as her feet made contact with the surface. Her knees throbbed with pain, but otherwise she seemed uninjured. Anna shook off the aching and ran down the alley. Taking a right, she ran across the back of the inn. Her biggest advantage was her speed; they didn't know how quickly she could move from one position to another.

She continued past the stables and rounded the corner.

Most of the men were still looking in the other direction, zeroing in on the alley where she'd fallen. Several, however, still stood massed around the three horses they had removed from the stables. One was already preparing to mount. Their eyes widened as they took in her presence.

"It's her-!" one began before her sword sliced across his neck. By the time his allies were running at her, his body had already crumpled to the ground.

Anna gripped her sword, hardening her resolve. What she was about to do was monstrous, but it was the only way to ensure that Elsa and Rapunzel were safe. Anything else, including her own life, was a secondary concern.

She swerved to the right, avoiding the next man's downward sweep, and plunged her blade into another's chest. Anna raised her blade with one hand and blocked another blow before shoving her attacker back. Not allowing herself to hesitate, she ran two steps forward and stabbed one of the horses deep in its flank. The animal's pained cry was enough to shatter her heart, but he wouldn't be riding after the Queen any time soon.

By now, the rest of the men were already charging at her. Time was running out. Her hands were a blur as she threw two more knives at the oncoming horde, impaling two men in the chest and giving the rest a moment's pause.

Anna's sword turned aside another strike. She lashed out with her foot, kicking her latest opponent's leg hard enough that she heard a crack. A second later, her blade spun in a wide arc that separated his head from his body.

She charged forward, her reflexes going into overdrive. Drawing upon all her speed, Anna cut down one...two...three more men before she reached the next horse. Her sword bit into its leg, crippling the mare. The unfortunate mount fell pathetically to the ground.

Five feet away, yet another man was desperately trying to climb atop the third horse. Her seventh knife flew into the mount's neck before he could even settle himself into the saddle.

Anna bolted towards the front of the stables, ducking to avoid a swipe at her head and stabbing yet another soldier through the stomach. She extracted her sword and turned around, positioning herself between the men and the rest of the horses.

What she saw sent a bolt of dread through her spine. Over thirty men had now converged on her position; several of them were armed with bows. They were moving towards her cautiously, obviously now weary of her prowess, but it wouldn't be long before...

"Kill her! Now!"

As the archers fired, Anna dived to the left. As the first salvo of projectiles sailed harmlessly past, the swordsmen gathered their courage and charged straight for her. With little choice, she threw her three remaining knives into the onrushing tide. One was deflected by a lucky man's sword, but two found their mark.

Then she was being attacked by a dozen men at once. Moving faster than she ever had before, Anna met their advance with her icy blade. She dodged and blocked a barrage of blows, cutting down three men in the process. But by now more soldiers were running to flank her; she spun her sword to the left and deflected two swift cuts at her side. They were behind her now, encircling her.

Her senses were overwhelmed as she was attacked from all sides. Any second now...

Anna's leg exploded in pain as an enemy's weapon found its mark. The metal sliced through the back of her right calf, cutting over an inch into her muscle. She fell to her knees, desperately raising her blade above her head.

"Don't kill her!" a familiar voice suddenly cried. "Knock her out!"

The men obliged. Her hands darted out, catching a final soldier with a thrust to the gut. Then they were on her. A meaty fist connected with her face, driving her onto her back. A second blow hit her from behind, and she knew no more.

\

King David scowled. His men were running for the horses in the stables, but he knew it was too late. By now, the Queen and what had looked to have been Princess Rapunzel would be too far gone.

But perhaps that no longer mattered.

It had taken him some time to recognize the woman who had opposed them. But her red hair unmistakably marked her as Queen Elsa's personal attendant. And it hadn't taken him long at the Coronan Royal Palace to hear about the unconventional relationship that the two women shared.

He'd brought many of his men with him to these peace discussions, discreetly having them stay within the city so as to not draw attention to their presence. After the talks would inevitably fail, the plan had been to ambush Xander on his journey home and force him to acquiesce to their demands. But Elsa's shocking ultimatum had made the Queen of Arendelle a far more vital target.

Once the bitch is dead, he'd thought, There's nothing in our way. We'd have the element of surprise, and even without it Jocasta was certain that we would triumph in a war.

She had escaped. But in her place was what he was rapidly realizing to be an even more valuable prize. As fate would have it, there would be no need to fight a war after all. Queen Elsa would make certain of that.

\

A sea of voices surrounded her.

The Queen struggled to hear them...they sounded familiar...but all her ears could make out was gibberish. Elsa tried to open her eyes; it felt like they were being sealed shut with concrete.

"She's waking up!" Elsa finally managed to hear.

Her eyes shot open. She was back in her room within the Coronan Royal Palace, surrounded by her relatives. Marcus, Lenna, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas were all standing over her bed. Far from being relieved at her awakening, each and every one of them wore expressions that could only be regarded as shell-shocked.

"What's going on?!" the Queen sat up suddenly. "How did I get here?" She wracked her brain, trying to remember when she'd gone to sleep. But the last thing she could recall was eating dinner at the inn. An ironclad veil resisted all of her efforts to remember anything further in time.

Rapunzel winced, but the Princess stepped forward and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. But as the monarch's vision cleared completely, she realized that it was her cousin's only hand. Rapunzel's left arm, judging by the small bulge in her sleeve, had been replaced by a stump.

"Your arm! What the hell happened?!" Elsa demanded. "Are you okay?" Even to her own ears, the question sounded stupid, but it was the only sentence that her lips had managed to form.

Her cousin gave her what could only be described as a pained nod. And suddenly, the Queen realized who was missing from this little gathering.

"Where's Anna?!"

Panic rising throughout her body, the monarch attempted to rise, but her uncle stepped forward and placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "As soon as you arrived back, I dispatched over a hundred men. They should arrive at where you stayed within two hours," he said.

Elsa stared at him. "I don't give a fuck! Where. Is. Anna?!"

Rapunzel frowned. The Princess appeared to be on the verge of crying. "Elsa...you were all poisoned at dinner by one of the maids...it made you pass out. Anna was immune- she saved my life. She dragged the two of us to the stables and got us on a horse...dozens of men were coming. She stayed behind to buy us..." her voice broke, and she fell into Eugene's arms.

Oh gods...

Her fatigue gone, the Queen shoved her Uncle aside and leapt off the bed. She ran forward, plowing through her family members and ignoring their cries. Elsa burst through the bedroom door and ran through the halls of the Castle.

I'm coming Anna.

\

As soon as she was outside the Palace, ice shot out from under the Queen's feet. Her left arm whipped out behind her, shooting the most powerful and compressed burst of cold air that she could muster. Within seconds she was gliding through the air faster than she ever had before.

The journey to the inn only took her twenty minutes. She moved faster than any horse, any carriage, and ship could ever dream of traveling. But the entire flight was torture.

If anything happened to her...even her thoughts could not form the words.

\

The sight that greeted her was chaos.

A dozen bodies were lying dead in the street, mercilessly illuminated by the rising sun. Men...her men...were milling about around them. At the sign of so many survivors, her eyes hopefully scanned the crowd for Anna...but the redhead was nowhere to be found.

"Queen Elsa!"

"Your Majesty!"

She came to a stop amidst the Royal Guards. Her royal persona was utterly gone; she made no effort to hide her desperation. "Where is Anna?!" she demanded yet again. The men, who had just been expressing their relief at her survival, now appeared downcast.

"We awoke but a few minutes ago, Your Majesty," one explained. "We were poisoned, and it seems as if the staff was as well. We have them under questioning, regardless. There was no sign of Princess Rapunzel or Miss Anna; we were searching for you..."

"Enough! The staff is innocent save for one maid, and Rapunzel is safely back at the Palace. But you mean to tell me there has been no sign, whatsoever, of what happened to my consort?"

Another guard stepped forward, staring at his feet uncomfortably. "We...found this letter, Your Majesty." In his hands was a white sheet of paper decorated with copious amounts of sophisticated handwriting.

The Queen snatched it out of his hands and began to read it.

Elsa,

I trust that your men will see that you receive this letter once they awaken. Today, you learn the price for opposing me. Your consort is safe...in my hands. Yes, I know of her abilities...it could hardly escape my man in the Palace that she was able to rip a door off its hinges with her bare hands. Not to mention the men of mine that I watched her slaughter. Rest assured that I will be taking precautions; I would not count on her bequeathing my hospitality in the near future. My demand is simple. Within two weeks I expect notification from King Xander that he has agreed to fully surrender all mining rights to Lucrania. You seem to be fond of threatening others with your powers; I suggest you make your way to Albion and inform him that he will either agree to renounce all claim to the copper or prepare to see his entire country experience an early winter. Do this, and young Anna will be treated decently. If not, I will see to it that her body is one day returned to you after my reign has come to an end...accompanied by a sign so that you will be able to recognize it. Attempt to retaliate against me, and I will ensure that her death is as painful and prolonged as humanely possible. Even if you refuse, do not think I will be giving up my leverage immediately; she will be tortured but remain alive until the day I perish. I am not a fool, I will not keep her where you could find her. Both she and I will be taking up residence in a remote fortress; its location is known only by my most trusted men. Enjoy your journey to Albion, Your Majesty. I look forward to hearing from King Xander in the coming weeks.


	38. Chapter 38

Smack!

"Wake up girl!" a deep voice demanded.

Anna's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, all she could register was the darkness of the room and the pain in her cheek. Reflexively, she tried to reach out...only to be stopped by the series of massive shackles that bound her arms.

Slowly, the horror of her situation sank in. Anna was pinned to a stone wall; her feet were at least six inches above the floor. Binding her to the dark brick were twenty-four iron shackles, each welded into the wall. Six were on each of her arms and legs, almost preventing her from moving a single muscle outside of her face. Gone was her attendant's uniform. Anna was clothed in nothing more than her bra and underwear.

Two people stood inside the small, dank room in front of her. One man and one woman, each with a blade in their hands. And as Anna struggled desperately against her restraints, both of them leveled their weapons at her throat.

"Jocasta here states that it is rumored that you possess vast amounts of strength. From what I heard in Corona, the whispers appear to be true. But even you can't free yourself within seconds. Try, and we'll slit your throat. And once we're gone, two guards at all times will be watching you. So I suggest you make yourself comfortable and prepare to answer our questions."

"David," she spat. The King nodded, pulling his arm back before smacking her again.

"Your Majesty," he corrected her. "Didn't Elsa teach you manners?"

Her mind spun, trying to understand the situation. David had ordered the attack on Elsa, trying to take her out of the way so he could declare war on Albion and King Xander. It appeared as if her efforts to buy the Queen and her cousin time had succeeded. But why hadn't they simply killed her? And how had they kept her unconscious for so long?

Anna's eyes narrowed. "What do you want with me?" she couldn't help but ask.

Slap!

The redhead growled, but information was more important than pride at the moment. "Fine. What you want with me, Your Majesty?" she repeated, boring holes into his forehead with her gaze.

David nodded. Already, she could see the satisfaction in his eyes. "That's better. And to answer your question...nothing. Ordinarily, an urchin such as yourself could never hope to occupy a moment of my time. Elsa, however, seems to have grown fond of you. I had hoped to kill her and leave Albion open for the taking, but you have presented me with a far more pleasant alternative. Why should I bring Xander to heel when I can have your Queen do it for me?"

He was using her as a bargaining chip!

Anna stared at him. "Do you honestly think Elsa would ever help you?" she demanded.

David offered her a slight shrug. "Normally, perhaps not. But with her only other choice being to accept around..." he pursed his lips thoughtfully..."Fifty years of torture for you, I wouldn't bet against it. For your sake I would hope that I'm correct. I don't pretend to understand how someone like you could ever interest a Queen, but I'll be damned if I don't take advantage of it."

Her stomach clenched in fear. Torture? This couldn't be happening!

"How did you bring me here? Where are we?"

Smack!

"...Your Majesty."

Another smile of satisfaction. "One of the most remote prisons in my country. Suffice it to say we're somewhere where Elsa would never know to look. As for how...you've been unconscious for two days. Whatever your magic is...a question that you will answer, it apparently gives you some resistance to toxins. But you're not immune, as it turns out. It took us enough Valerian extract to put a hundred men to sleep for a week, but it was able to keep you out cold for the entire journey."

Anna couldn't help but look surprised. After surviving dosages of venom that had proved lethal to a full-grown horse without suffering any ill effects herself, she'd figured that poison simply couldn't affect her. Since she still didn't have the slightest idea why, however, perhaps it wasn't that shocking that she'd been wrong.

"You said you didn't care about me, Your Majesty. So why ask me questions? You already have me locked up, there's nothing I could do to you. Why should you care about my magic?"

This time, the woman spoke up. She was tall, adorned with calm brown eyes and flowing blond hair only a few shades darker than Elsa's. A dark purple cloak hid most of her features. "You probably know more about Elsa than anyone," she noted. "And we believe that your magic is tied to her's. If she ever becomes a threat, Lucrania will need to know her weaknesses."

"IF YOU THINK I'LL TELL YOU ONE DAMNED THING-!" Jocasta stepped forward. For a slim woman, she had a powerful punch. Anna's magic shielded her body from most of the punishment others inflicted upon her, but even with her abilities Jocasta's blow to her stomach still caused her to grunt in pain.

The blond woman flashed her a cruel smirk. "I'll be back tomorrow evening- that should give you enough time to...get used to your surroundings. Once I return, you're going to tell me what I want to know." Jocasta leaned forward like a snake; her next words were whispered into Anna's ear. "I'm the King's most trusted advisor. But even more importantly, I'm his best interrogator. No one has ever resisted me for long. I would suggest you save yourself some pain and tell me everything straight away, but it makes no difference to me. Before the week is up, you will have told me anything I want to know."

Anna could do little but conceal her mounting fear as best she could as her two visitors left through the metal door at the end of the room. Within thirty seconds, they were gone. Through the doorway, she could see two guards armed with crossbows taking up positions just outside the room.

"You hear the slightest sound, open the door," David commanded. "And if she's trying to break free, shoot to cripple. Otherwise, leave her to rot."

The door slammed shut, drowning her in darkness.

\

"Elsa...I'm sorry. I don't know where..."

"Then find out!" the Queen bellowed. She was standing in her Uncle's study, surrounded by her relatives. All of them were in complete and utter shock. Rapunzel's face was buried in Eugene's chest, her tears staining her husband's formal jacket.

Marcus sighed heavily. "We don't spy on our peaceful neighbors. They've never made any threatening moves towards us. He could be keeping her anywhere within Lucrania...I just don't know."

The Queen struggled to contain the rage consuming her entire being. Anna was gone. And none of them had the slightest lead to her location. Worse, David could be lying. He could already have impaled Anna through the chest and tossed her body into the sea; Elsa would have no way of knowing.

But she refused to believe it. For the sake of her sanity, she had to assume that Anna had been kept alive. Until the day she found the redhead's corpse, Elsa would never accept her consort's death.

"There has to be a way," she hissed. "We have a written confession of David's actions. Surely the other kingdoms won't stand for this treachery!"

Her Uncle sighed. "Anyone could have forged that letter; it doesn't act as proof that David is responsible. And appealing to other nations to take even economic action against Lucrania might eventually force you to reveal your own threats to Xander and David. It would be a disaster. Arendelle itself could declare war on Lucrania, but…"

Elsa knew his arguments already. Arendelle could steamroll Lucrania in a contest of arms. The Queen alone could probably conquer the country nearly single-handedly. But the world would view it as a tyrannical act, an invasion of a sovereign nation based on a dubious claim. They would think Anna's capture to have been staged or fabricated in an attempt to gain a casus-belli. And Anna would never forgive her if she drove another nation to ruin, probably condemning thousands to death in the process of bloody conquest, just for her sake.

That left the second option.

"I'm going to Albion," she announced through gritted teeth. "David's won...for now. If he wants the copper, he's going to get it. Once we find Anna I'll sort everything out, but we can worry about that later."

Her aunt stepped forward. "Elsa...you can't. The news would soon leak, and the world would never forgive you. Arendelle would become a pariah; no one would ever trust your kingdom again."

"Screw Arendelle! They're going to torture her..." Elsa fell to her knees, sobbing freely now. Her family stood around her, all of them concerned but none of them certain of how to respond.

She knew her aunt was right. She couldn't openly threaten Xander. Arendelle would be crippled by such an action. Its reputation would never recover; it would never find a trade partner again. Her people would suffer for decades. But she also couldn't leave Anna to suffer at David's hands, even though finding her would be all but impossible.

Lucrania was a massive nation. It could take years to pinpoint Anna's location, and by that time the redhead would probably be scarred beyond repair. But giving in to David's threat would cripple Arendelle for centuries. There was no way out.

Except, perhaps...

"Maybe…maybe I should kill myself," Elsa ventured. Instantly, her entire family rose to their feet.

"What?!"

"Elsa, no!"

"Arendelle needs you!"

"Anna wouldn't want-"

"I know, I know," Elsa cut them off. "But it might be the only way. I don't want to die! But it might be our only chance. You're right; I can't go to Albion. Arendelle might never recover. But it's going to take years to find Anna…and her mind will be gone by then! I can't leave her to that fate!" She was sobbing again now, but the Queen remained resolute.

"And how the hell will killing yourself fix anything?!" Marcus demanded.

Elsa turned to face him. "If I do it publicly, everyone will hear. The news will reach David quickly. And after that he'll have no reason to keep Anna."

"That doesn't mean he'll let her go!" Rapunzel argued. "He might just torture her anyway out of spite! He doesn't seem like the type to be merciful."

"…No." Elsa agreed. "But I think you would be able to stop him. You'll become Queen of Arendelle. You could bargain for Anna's return, saying that you'll take her back in exchange for not retaliating against Lucrania. He's not stupid; he'd probably agree."

Rapunzel stared at her. "No! Just…no. You can't do this!"

Elsa sighed. "I don't want to. But my only other options are to make my kingdom a pariah or doom Anna to years of torture! How could I live with myself in either case? This might be the only way to save both Anna and Arendelle."

"You wouldn't be saving Anna!" Thomas protested. "Even if David lets her go, which he might not, how do you think she'll feel when she learns that you took your own life?"

"Terrible," Elsa agreed. "But at least she'd be safe. You'd take care of her, wouldn't you? Right Rapunzel?"

"Elsa-"

"Right?!" she demanded again.

"Of course! I'd give her anything she would ever want! But it wouldn't be enough. Elsa, doing this would destroy her," her cousin countered. "She'd blame herself…she'd wish she were dead. And as for Arendelle…you'd be giving it a new, less experienced, and less powerful ruler in a time of strife. How do you think that might end?"

The Queen fell back into her chair. They were right. This was just desperation talking; she was being foolish. But then…all of her options seemed equally as daunting. There was no way out. No way to win.

Her aunt stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on the other Queen's shoulder. "We'll find her, Elsa. We'll send out men to search the entire country if that's what it takes."

Elsa stared down at her hands. "I just hope Anna is still…Anna…when we do."

\

She'd been alone in her cell for what seemed like an eternity. Anna had managed to fall asleep for brief periods, but even her exhaustion couldn't overcome her uncomfortable position for long. Hunger was gnawing at her body so fiercely that the redhead felt as if she had a black hole residing inside her stomach. No one had come to give her food.

Before she'd had Elsa to provide her with free meals every day, Anna had been no stranger to hunger. But rarely had she gone without any food for this long. And even then, her body hadn't required as much nourishment as it did now. Now, it seemed, her abilities necessitated a larger metabolism. Plus, months of living in the Palace had made her used to three large meals a day. Her stomach had been spoiled.

But even worse than her starvation was the waiting. Waiting for the arrival of an interrogator apparently eager to subject her to torture. Anna knew why she had been left alone; David and his minions had all the time in the world. They were allowing her to grow weak and letting her fear build. Nothing mattered to them except siphoning the information they desired from her lips.

Anna was afraid. She was very afraid. The thought of torture kept her awake even more than the emptiness devouring her stomach. She wanted to be strong. But Anna had never taken well to pain. Before the first session was over, she knew she might be begging and crying for mercy.

But she would not give in. At first, Anna hadn't believed that there was anything she could even offer them. They knew the basics of Elsa's powers; they weren't a closely guarded secret. David had said they would ask about Anna's own magic, but she herself knew little that they didn't. And as for weaknesses in the Queen's magic...there were none. At least, none that Elsa herself was aware of. The monarch herself was mortal, but that wasn't a secret. She could offer them no advice about how to engage her in combat besides advising them to use the element of surprise, and they almost certainly knew that already. It was common sense.

Unfortunately, hours alone in the darkness had allowed Anna to realize that there was one thing she could tell them. She could reveal that Elsa practiced her powers by the lake behind her Castle every other night. It seemed to be irrelevant at first glance, but that knowledge would allow the Queen's enemies to prepare an ambush that might very well succeed. Elsa had said that she had her creations scout ahead for her, but snow golems could not search everywhere.

With the information she held, an attack on Elsa's life grew much more feasible.

She'd not dared to try and free herself. Against all these shackles, even her strength couldn't prevail easily. With enough time, perhaps she could break out, but it would be impossible to do so before the guards heard her. Anna might have considered doing so anyway if it meant that she could end her own life and avoid the torture coming her way, but their command had clearly been to shoot to cripple. Evidently, her captors had considered the possibility of their prisoner taking the easy way out.

Click.

Her eyes burned as the door swung open, emitting the first light Anna had seen in over twenty-four hours. In walked Jocasta, a cruel smirk already on her face. Anna' eyes frantically went to the other woman's hands, but for the moment she wasn't carrying any instruments of torture. What she was holding was two bright handles, one of each she deposited in the two back corners of the room.

"Close the door," she said to the guards outside. "But stay alert."

The light was mercifully dimmed as the men followed Jocasta's instructions, though even the illumination from the candles was enough to make her uncomfortable at this moment. Gathering her resolve, Anna set her face into a hard stare.

"You're wasting your time," the redhead said evenly. "I don't know anything that could help you. Elsa's powers don't have any weaknesses, and neither of us knows where my magic comes from. You can hurt me all you want, my answer won't change."

Jocasta smiled. "Dear girl, we both know that's not true. You're not the only one in this room with magic. Oh yes," she confirmed at the look of shock upon Anna's features. "Even the King doesn't know it, but there's a reason I'm so talented when it comes to my duties. I can't see the details of your thoughts, but upon any words that issue from your lips I shall know whether they are true or not. Or, at least, if you believe them to be true."

"You're lying!" Anna shot back. She wasn't falling for this again.

"I'm afraid not. Already I know that you have told two truths and one falsehood. Elsa's magic doesn't have any weakness that you know of, and you are not aware of the true nature of your abilities. But your first claim was a lie; you do know something that can help us."

Anna's eyes widened, but she refused to acknowledge Jocasta's accuracy. They could have been lucky guesses, after all.

"Prove it," she challenged. "I am twenty years old. Truth or lie?"

"Lie," Jocasta replied without missing a beat.

"My favorite color is green."

"Lie."

"I was taught by a man named Drell."

"True."

"My birthday is February second."

"Lie."

"My last name is Bell."

"Lie."

"I've slept with six women in my entire life."

"True."

"Hot chocolate is my favorite kind of chocolate."

The other women frowned. "Neither truth nor a lie. I suppose that means that you aren't sure if hot chocolate is your favorite chocolate. Am I correct?" she questioned, her smirk back in place.

Anna glared at her. But it was clear that Jocasta's ability was no trick. And that meant that she wouldn't be able to lie her way out of the situation. Her heart pounded ever faster as fear continued to set in.

"I need you to understand something, Anna. I want to hurt you. And if you don't give me an excuse not to, I will make your life a living hell. Tell me everything you know, right now, and I'll stay my urges and leave you in peace. Last chance."

The redhead couldn't help but shrink back. "Why?" she demanded. "What have I ever done to you?"

Jocasta's eyes narrowed. "You've been a thorn in our side for months, Anna. Without you, the Queen would have been ours long ago. You're nothing but a peasant that Elsa's dressed in nice clothes and gifted with magic that you don't deserve. And yet you strut around as the Queen's pet, acting as if you're actually worth something. So trust me, it will be my absolute pleasure to humble you."

Anna gasped. "Lucrania is behind the attacks on Elsa?!" she cried. "Why would David want to-"

She broke off at Jocasta's chuckle. "David? Please," she scoffed, keeping her voice low enough that the guards outside could not listen. "He's nothing but a pawn, a young man so desperate to retain his throne that he can be easily controlled. It was a simple matter to convince him that war with Albion was his best option. We meant only for Elsa to be distracted; I never dreamed he would attack the Queen so boldly. But his recklessness have given us an enormous opportunity, one which I will not allow to go to waste."

"But why?!" Anna sputtered. "Who the hell are you people? And what do you have against Elsa?"

Jocasta laughed mockingly. "You honestly think I'd give you information that's actually useful? There's always a chance that you could escape; stranger things have happened. And if you're ever fortunate enough to walk free, I can't have you going back to your Queen with such knowledge, can I?"

This was bad. Whoever was after Elsa was far more widespread than they could ever have guessed. If they had an agent with such power and authority here, who was to say they didn't wield influence in other such kingdoms as well? Jocasta was right; Anna hadn't learned anything useful. She'd only been told this much so she would be intimidated, and intimidated she was.

"Get on with it then," Anna challenged, trying to sound braver than she felt. "I'm not telling you anything."

Jocasta grinned. "Excellent. Open the door!" she called.

A click sounded and again light filled the room. Anna's vision went white as Jocasta seemed to accept an object from one of the guards outside. Seconds later, the door closed again.

Oh gods...

In the older woman's hands rested a hot branding iron. The brand itself was a small x, which was glowing red with heat. Anna couldn't help it, her body began to visibly shake with fear as Jocasta approached. Sweat began to pour down her forehead.

"How can we get to Elsa?"

Anna remained silent, closing her eyes.

Pain! Her stomach was on fire as the older woman applied the brand just a few inches above her navel. This was real. This was actually happening. She was being tortured.

But it could have been worse. It could have been far worse. This was nothing compared to when her back had been burned. Whatever her magic was, it protected her body from the brunt of the agony. Even now, as thin wisps of smoke were rising from her bare stomach, Anna could have resisted the urge to cry out in pain.

The redhead gave in anyway. If Jocasta knew how she was cheating her way out of suffering, she would almost certainly amp up her efforts. Anna sobbed, allowing tears to fall onto her cheeks.

"I'll ask again. What do you know?"

Anna said nothing.

This time, the brand was applied to her cheek. Anna let out a scream as an x was burned into her soft flesh. It hurt like hell. But it was only a fraction of what a normal human being would be going through. She'd endured significantly worse before.

"That's enough," Jocasta said, pulling the brand back. "I like to take these things slow." she remarked to the openly sobbing (and mostly faking) redhead. "I can do this all week, and I will if I have to. We're in no hurry. That was two easy brands. Tomorrow, if you fail to provide me answers when I return, you will be marked five times with an even hotter iron. Think on that."

She called to the guards, who opened the door for her. "Give the girl a piece of bread," she ordered as she left. "We can't have the bitch starve to death before she breaks."


	39. Chapter 39

Elsa didn't get a wink of sleep that night until her Uncle agreed to have a royal physician prepare her a cup of tea laced with Valerian extract. Truth be told, the Queen felt guilty about giving herself a few hours of peace while Anna was in chains. But if she was going to rescue her consort from David's clutches, her mind was going to have to be sharp.

"How long do you think it will take your father's men to get back?" she asked Rapunzel the next morning. The two of them were sitting alone in one of the Castle's parlors, the rest of her family having resumed their work ruling a country and planning operations into Lucrania. Elsa was almost certain that Rapunzel had been specifically instructed to accompany her and keep her calm, an assignment that the Queen understood completely. It was a struggle not to release a blizzard out of sheer frustration.

The Princess bit her lip. "Elsa...I don't know. It might take weeks, if they can even..." her deflated cousin cut off.

"You don't think they'll find her, do you?" Elsa demanded.

"I...I'm not sure. Papa is going to do everything he can, I know it. But it's a large country, and David's not a fool. They could be anywhere within his borders, and for the moment we don't have any leads," Rapunzel admitted.

With that, Elsa stood forcibly. "Then I'm going to Lucrania myself," she replied firmly. "I can move faster than any of your men; I'll find her. And for the sake of his neck I hope that David isn't with her when I do."

"Elsa no!" Rapunzel leapt forward and caught her hand. "You can't! If you're spotted, he'll know that you don't intend to threaten Xander. He'll make Anna's life a living hell long before you can reach her. And I think one of his men would probably notice the Snow Queen streaking across the sky on a trail of ice."

The Queen's hands lashed out. Ice flew from her palms, violently obliterating one of the largest portraits on the wall. Suddenly, Rapunzel's great-grandfather looked even less attractive as a blast of frost mangled his face beyond repair.

She fell to her knees, barely restraining herself from pounding the floor with her fists. Never before had she felt so helpless. Even in her darkest moments, there had always been a reasonable option...a viable hope. Now there was nothing. Elsa was trapped between a rock and a hard place, and the walls were squeezing closer with every passing hour.

"Anna was right. I should have waited for the Ice Queen! We should never have gone out there. Now she's going to suffer for my mistakes. She always suffers for my mistakes!" she cried. Now I'm never going to see her again...just like my parents. I'll never be able to tell her I'm sorry..."

Rapunzel dropped to her knees, reaching out with her arm and pulling the Queen of Arendelle out of her tantrum and into a warm embrace. It felt strange to be hugged with only one arm. It was a thought that would have depressed the monarch, had she not reached her limit of grief days ago.

"She knew, Elsa. Anna was angry, but she loves you; she knows how much you care about her. You will see her again, I promise."

Elsa leaned into the her cousin's embrace gratefully, but she knew that Rapunzel was just trying to comfort her. The Princess herself had just admitted her doubt in their ability to find Anna. It was a rare and frightening thing to see Rapunzel so worried, and that alone was enough to convince Elsa of just how long the odds truly were.

As the two of them pulled back and rose to her feet, the Queen's hand brushed against Rapunzel's pocket. Her fingers registered the presence of a hard...snowflake.

"Rapunzel, is that...is that Anna's necklace?"

Her cousin's eyes widened, but she nodded and extracted the jewelry from its hiding place. "Anna...right after you snapped at her...asked me to hold onto it," Rapunzel admitted with a pained voice. "She said it reminded her of what you told her. But Elsa, it was in the heat of the moment! She just needed a-"

Elsa's fingers darted forward and snatched the pendant off of the other woman's palm. The diamond was as flawless as it had been the day she'd first placed it around Anna's neck. But now its gleaming surface did nothing but mock her. Before, it had been an expensive gift for her love, given as part of Elsa's efforts to heal the wounds of Anna's past. Now it was a symbol of her failures- a representation of everything she'd lost.

But she would keep it. It would remain in the pocket of her dress as a constant reminder of Anna and her predicament. And there it would remain, as painful to feel as the tip of a knife, until the day when Elsa could return it to its rightful place.

\

"I told you I don't know anything, please-" Anna let out a bloodcurdling scream as the brand was applied to her leg for the third time that day. True to Jocasta's word, the iron was hotter than it had been before. The pain was still barely tolerable, but the redhead didn't have to exaggerate any of her screams this time to convince her interrogator of the torture's potency.

"Liar," Jocasta hissed.

"Takes one to know one," Anna retorted. "Tell me, is anything you learn from me even going to go to the King? Or is it just going to be handed to your group of conspirators so you can take out Elsa yourselves?"

The other woman's initial reply was to smack Anna across the cheek, a blow enough to send an ordinary woman to the edge of tears. As it was, the redhead's gaze only grew angrier.

"You're pathetic. I know an attempt to stall when I see one. Still...I must admit, Anna, I'm perplexed. Why are you suffering so much for the sake of a woman who hardly even cares for you? Answer my questions and I can stop the pain. I'll let you eat. Just tell me how we can get to her," Jocasta implored.

"Elsa loves me!" Anna retorted. "Even David knows that; why do you think he kidnapped me in the first place! He thinks that Elsa cares about me so much that she'll threaten Xander just to spare me pain!"

The interrogator chuckled, her dark laughter echoing throughout the room. "David is a fool. He believed, thanks to our advice, that giving into Albion would cost him his throne. He's so desperate to retain his crown that he's risking the wrath of the Snow Queen, but he's miscalculated. David may think that Elsa will give into his demands, but I know better. You were just a convenient plaything. She's going to leave you to rot rather than risk her kingdom's future. The King will be most displeased when he realizes the truth."

Anna frowned. Would the Queen sacrifice her for Arendelle? Did Anna want her to? Despite what Jocasta claimed, the redhead knew how much Elsa cared for her. But she also knew how much Elsa would do for her kingdom. A selfish part of the redhead couldn't help but hope that her Queen would concede to David's demands, but Anna wouldn't want Arendelle's future sacrificed for her well-being. Besides, even if Elsa did what the King wanted, Anna would probably be kept imprisoned as insurance.

She didn't know what Elsa would do. Anna couldn't see the Queen leaving her to be tortured...but she also couldn't see her threatening Xander and making Arendelle a pariah. Neither option seemed possible, yet the redhead knew that Elsa would have to pick one.

"You may think you know her, Anna," Jocasta continued. "But Elsa is a Queen with a prodigious talent for manipulation. And for someone like you, it would have been so easy. It sounds so romantic, doesn't it? The poor orphaned girl, taken in by a monarch and given a home. Welcomed into a world where food, clothes, and hot water were readily available. She's made you into her loyal pet; eager to do her bidding whenever she asked. First she used you for your body...now for your abilities. But you know nothing about her real nature. And if you had stayed, it would have only been a matter of time before she became bored with her plaything and shown her true colors. She would have tossed you back onto the street like the unworthy piece of vermin you are."

"That's a lie!" Anna shouted.

Jocasta raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because the way I heard it, the two of you didn't exactly part on the best of terms. Our man in Marcus's Palace says that you made quite the scene; running off like a crying toddler. Elsa was already getting tired of you, but she was maintaining the facade because she wants your protection right now. You can hardly blame her. Having to put up with a brat like you must have been grating."

Anna sighed heavily. "You're right," she admitted, her eyes staring at the dark floor. "We didn't part on good terms. She made a mistake...a big one. I felt slighted and betrayed...and I was justified in doing so."

"See-"

"But I still love her!" the redhead shouted. Eyes widening, the interrogated recoiled. "She messed up...nobody's perfect. But that doesn't mean she doesn't love me. Elsa's the greatest person I've ever met...the only person to ever give a damn about me! And I'm never going to betray her! So get on with the branding; I haven't got all day!"

Jocasta lunged forward, cupping Anna's chin with deceptive gentleness. "I'm almost tempted to let you go, just so I could hear of your reaction when you learned the truth. It would be so sweet to- ugh!" she stepped backward as Anna pursed her lips and spat directly into her eye.

'You're going to pay for that," Jocasta hissed. Turning away from Anna, she opened the door to the cell. As blinding light filled the room, the redhead heard a single horrifying command being passed onto the guard.

"Gather some of the men. When this session is over, we're releasing some of her shackles and you'll need help holding her down," the interrogator ordered.

Even from inside, Anna could sense the man's fear. "We're...letting her go, my lady?" he asked.

"Of course not. I just need a few of the shackles opened at a time. Anna here needs to learn respect. And I think a broken arm or two would be an excellent first lesson."

Anna's heart leapt into her throat as one of the men on duty left to fulfill his task. This time, she couldn't stop the panic flowing through her. She pulled at her shackles with all of her strength, desperate to be free. But she hadn't eaten a full meal in days. Her arms were incredibly sore, and she could barely get any leverage inside these tight restraints. Pure helplessness set in as Anna realized that two broken limbs had just become an inevitability.

"Please..." she pleaded as Jocasta shut the door. "How can you do this?! Don't you have a soul? Aren't you human? How can you just stand there and do...do this...without so much as a thought?!"

The interrogator simply smirked. "It's time to continue. Ready to answer my questions?"

Anna remained silent.

\

"You don't even care!" Elsa ranted to her Uncle. "You're just like the nobles in Arendelle; you don't give a damn about anyone without blue blood. She's going to suffer and die and you wouldn't even lift a finger to save her!"

Marcus sighed. "Elsa...I can't imagine how you're feeling right now. But I'm doing everything I can for Anna. Dozens of men have been sent to scour the country. I know how much she means to you. I could see what a fine young woman she is. And she's saved my only daughter's life twice in the last two months! I am doing everything in my power to save her!"

"Well it's not enough! Your men will never find her in time; if they haven't already started torturing her already!"

"What would you have me do, Elsa?" the King asked. "Declare war? Even if it would be ethical to sacrifice thousands of lives to save a single person, David would be sure to enact his revenge! He would fall, but he would be certain to take Anna with him."

Rapunzel, standing to the side of her father's chair, quickly raised a hand to forestall Elsa's retort. "We're trying, Elsa. You know we are. I want her back just as much as you do! But we can't do anything that would let David know that we're trying to rescue her."

"Bold talk," Elsa shot back. "For the woman who's responsible for her situation in the first place."

A rare burst of anger flashed across the Princess's face. "Excuse me?" she demanded.

"You let her stay. You gladly rode off into the distance as she faced impossible odds! Did you even try to convince her otherwise? She could have come with us! She could be standing here right now if you had made her get on a horse and ride!" the Queen accused.

Marcus opened his mouth to protest, but his daughter beat him to it. "That's ridiculous and you know it! I did try and convince her to come; she smacked my horse and sent him running! And she was right. We would have been run down within minutes if she hadn't bought us time. Don't demean her sacrifice!"

Elsa's nostrils flared. "You dare accuse me of disrespecting her actions? Anna is a hero...more so than any of us! The difference between you and me is that I actually care about her! I don't run away while she stays behind and then shrug it off as an acceptable loss!"

"Anna is my friend! You're not the only person who cares about her!" the Princess angrily replied. She stepped forward as she talked, stopping only when she was inches away from Elsa's eyes and glaring into them with a furious intensity. "I tried to stop her!"

"Oh please," the Queen retorted, meeting Rapunzel's stare with equal malice. "For all I know you asked her to remain behind. What does someone like Anna matter when compared to saving your own precious skin? Don't act as if you care about her. You sent her off into the wilderness with nothing more than a horse and a bag of coins! I guess that's how much her life is worth to you."

"I didn't know what she was going to face!" her cousin protested. "It was foolish; I admit that now. But I never thought that I would be putting her in mortal danger. I did it because I hoped that the trolls could help you. Help both of you!'

Elsa's teeth clenched. "Well that worked out perfectly, didn't it? They turned out to be useless-"

The Queen's mouth stopped as her mind was sent whirling. Anna had said the trolls couldn't help out with discovering who was responsible for the attacks. But they had expressed their willingness to aid the Queen if she ever required it. What was it Anna had said of their powers?

The wolves knew how to find me somehow. Kristoff said the trolls were capable of the same thing.

"I have to go," Elsa announced.

"W-hat?" Rapunzel stuttered.

"I think the trolls can help me find Anna. I have to leave, now," the Queen said quickly.

Marcus rose from his desk. "You won't make it, Elsa. You'd never get to Arendelle and back by the time David's deadline ends. Even the fastest ships take over five days to cross the sea; and there's still the storm to worry about."

"I'm not taking a ship," Elsa replied. "I'll go on my own, using my powers. I can probably make it back to Arendelle in two days with my magic. I'll spend one night at sea; I can create a safe place to sleep using my powers. I just need some food for the journey. And a compass."

Rapunzel looked at her with wonder, her face filled with rising hope. "Can you really do this?" she questioned.

The Queen nodded. "I've been studying maps for years; and I know the stars well. It won't be easy, but I can find my way back. Once the trolls tell me where she is, I'll still have enough time to go get her."

\

An hour later, Elsa was gliding over the ocean. Ice shot out from under her feet easily, and the air she was shooting behind her propelled her far faster than any ship could ever hope to match. A compass rested in her free hand, and a sack of food was tied to a belt of ice secured around her waist.

Suddenly, her life didn't seem hopeless. Perhaps there was a way out of this catastrophe after all.

\

Finally. A sign of frustration. Anna just wished that it wasn't imprinted upon her cheek.

A large black bruise was forming on the redhead's face. Seven crude x's had already been burned into Anna's skin today, but the former thief had refused to answer any of the interrogator's questions. Her most recent curse in defiance had just earned her a hard blow across her jaw.

The blow had only added to the chorus of pain. Feeling her arms break had been as painful as Anna feared, and having them placed back into the shackles only increased the agony. Even now, a day later, they still felt as if they were wreathed in flames.

"I'm not telling you anything," Anna managed as she struggled to blink the stars out of her eyes.

Jocasta looked up from her slightly sore knuckles and smirked. "Do you honestly think I'm just going to give up? You make it seem as if this is some laborious task for me. The truth is, Anna, I'm enjoying myself immensely. You're only doing me a favor by giving me an excuse to continue."

"You hate me that much?!" the redhead demanded.

Wham! Another punch connected just below Anna's eye. Her head whipped to the right as Jocasta pulled back once again, clenching her fist. The former thief could feel unconsciousness clawing at her mind just as easily as she could perceive the line of blood now trickling down her cheek.

"I despise you," the interrogator answered.

"Just because...I stop...your group...plan?" Anna asked, her voice slurring alarmingly despite her best efforts to prevent it. Through her blurry vision, the redhead saw her interrogator's face morph into a hybrid between a smirk and a scowl.

"No. I hate you for what you represent; you're a symbol of everything that is wrong with this world. You were born an Ungifted peasant, but rather than accept your place and keep your head down, you chose to defy the natural order. I'm sure you thought that you were so fortunate, managing to take advantage of Elsa's supposed beneficence. In exchange for virtually nothing, she provided you with everything. And yet you act as if you're something other than a leech that managed to slither off the streets and into a Castle."

Anna's teeth clenched. At times, she had felt guilty about accepting Elsa's blatant charity. The Queen paid for Anna's clothes, Anna's food...Anna's entire life...simply out of the goodness of her heart. Even the redhead's appointment as her personal attendant had been intended to be nothing more than an excuse to allow Elsa to continue providing for her.

But Anna had found peace with the arrangement. For she knew that even if the Queen hadn't expected it, her time in the monarch's employ had proven to be of immense value to Arendelle. Despite the opulence of the lifestyle that Anna had been given, its cost was a mere pittance compared to the gold that sat in the monarch's personal vault. And Anna knew that supporting her was something that Elsa genuinely enjoyed doing. It had been hard to miss the glint of satisfaction in the Queen's eyes whenever Anna had been introduced to a new facet of a life of plenty.

Taking the proud and self-righteous road and refusing the Queen's generosity would have benefited no one.

Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself, Anna couldn't help but admit. But that doesn't change the fact that all of those things are true. And if the situation was reversed...if I was Queen and Elsa was a peasant...assuming I didn't destroy the kingdom within the first month of my reign...I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't support her. If she refused to accept a home when I offered it, I would have been horrified.

"I can't wait to see the look in your eyes when Elsa's true personality shows itself," Jocasta continued. "You think of her as a saint, but when she abandons you to rot, perhaps you'll begin to realize that the Queen isn't the gentle, magnanimous woman you thought you knew. The real Elsa is much, much harsher, as a Queen should be."

Anna shook her head. "She might not...find me...but she'll try. Doesn't mean...she doesn't care...me."

"You seem a little under the weather, Anna," Jocasta chuckled. "Part of me feels that I should allow you a moment to rest, but I do hate to see a job unfinished. Shall we proceed?"

\

The girl's resistance was impressive, Jocasta had to admit.

It had been an hour since their session. David, she knew, was training downstairs with some of his loyal men, but he would soon expect a report. He would be displeased with her lack of progress, but his confidence in her was nearly unshakable. After all of her successes over the years, the King would continue to allow her free reign over his prisoner.

He was a fool. But for now, he was a useful fool. Jocasta's superiors would be furious if she lost her position as his most trusted advisor, and that meant that she had to keep him happy. For the time being.

They would be far more impatient than David. But Anna was refusing to crack. As much as Jocasta enjoyed inflicting pain upon the redhead, it was proving ineffective. She would break eventually, everyone did, but the higher-ups had been waiting long enough.

Perhaps torture wasn't the only solution.

Instead of breaking down Anna's mind, Jocasta would weaken it through other means. Tomorrow, she would utilize the fortress's supply of sedatives. With enough of the toxins running through her system, Anna might just become confused and pliable enough to offer up some useful information. If Jocasta was able to dose her correctly, the redhead might not even realize she was singing like a canary.

Of course, Anna had been shown to have extreme resistance (but not total immunity) to poison. Her magic's protection would likely extend to sedatives. A massive dose would likely be required to have an effect. Judging the required amount would be difficult. Too little would leave Anna in the right state of mind. Too much could knock her unconscious for days.

But it was worth a try.


	40. Chapter 40

Elsa could see it.

Anna had claimed that the trolls on the North Mountain were hidden; they resided inside a cloaked bubble that could only be seen once a person had crossed the threshold. Yet even when the Queen was still miles from the mountain, she could perceive the patch of spring that sat upon its slopes.

Good. She wouldn't have to waste time finding them.

It had been roughly thirty-six hours since her departure from Corona. The journey had been difficult, but Elsa had been able to find her way across the ocean with the aid of her compass. She'd only stopped once, creating a suitable place to sleep on out of her ice and creating a golem whose sole task was to wake her once six hours had passed.

She descended towards the settlement. At any other time, the Queen would have paused to marvel at its existence. All this time, magic she had never dreamed existed had resided within her kingdom. Though she understood why her parents had hesitated to inform her, Elsa couldn't help but resent them at the moment for their mistake. If she'd already been familiar with he trolls, the way to save Anna might have occurred to her days ago.

The sun was setting behind the mountain, but there was still enough light for Elsa to perceive dozens of small purple forms moving throughout the settlement. And as she continued her journey towards them, the shapes began to look back at her. Wearily, the Queen crossed into the magical enclosure and slowed her momentum. Trolls immediately began converging on her position.

"It's the Queen!"

"Did you see her magic?"

"That was amazing, Your Majesty!"

Elsa glanced around nervously as she landed upon the ground. According to Anna, the trolls were friendly but...forward, and the Queen had never been the most comfortable in such dynamic social situations. Especially when she had far more important things to worry about.

"I need to see Grand Pabbie," she said to the creatures encircling her. The Queen's tone could not be described as rude, but it was formal and direct. Perhaps if her hosts understood the gravity of the situation they wouldn't waste time playing their games with her. Of course, Elsa had no idea of what to expect. Anna's descriptions could only do so much, and the sight of purple rocks with large eyes surrounding her was sufficient to unnerve the Queen.

A loud cough sounded from behind her. "Here, Your Majesty," a gravelly voice spoke.

Elsa whipped around. Standing before her at the front of the mass of trolls was the most elderly of them all. Even without the green cloak and dark blond hair that matched Anna's descriptions, the Queen would have recognized him as the leader immediately. His eyes, while still friendly, lacked the sense of childlike mirth that prevailed among his brethren. Here before her was one who knew the burden of leadership.

"I am Pabbie," he continued. "It is an honor to meet your, Your Majesty. You are most welcome within our home."

She nodded. "Thank you. But I fear this is not a social visit," Elsa replied worriedly. "May we speak privately?"

\

Three minutes later, the two of them were seated inside Pabbie's hut. It was a small building, not at all what she was expecting, but the enclosure was both sufficiently comfortable and more than capable of concealing its occupants from the world outside.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot waste time with pleasantries," the Queen began once they were seated. "I've been told that you have helped my parents in the past...and that you would be willing to assist me."

Pabbie nodded. "We've always been happy to help the royal family. It has always given us leave to remain here and preserved the secrecy of our existence...and proven to be capable monarchs. How can I assist you? Have you discovered something about those who attempted to take your life?"

"No." Elsa shook her head, struggling to keep the pain out of her voice. "It's Anna...King David of Lucrania attacked me while I was in Corona. I attempted to avert a war between him and King Xander of Albion by threatening to use my powers to cut off access to the disputed copper mines. He had me drugged into unconsciousness and ordered his men to murder me. Anna was resistant...she held them off. They captured her...he's using her to blackmail me...said he would torture her if I didn't threaten Xander. He's staying at a remote fortress in his country with her; we don't know where to find it. Soon he's going to start torturing her..."

With every word that issued from her lips, Pabbie's face fell further. "Anna..." he breathed. "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. We have a spell that can locate those who are missing, but..."

"What is it?" Elsa asked impatiently.

The troll sighed. "To perform it, I require something that belonged to her. Something that she could have called her own. Do you have..."

"Her necklace!" the Queen interrupted. She shot an apologetic glance at her host for her rudeness, but Pabbie appeared unconcerned. Her heat filling with hope, Elsa extracted Anna's diamond necklace and held it out triumphantly.

Pabbie nodded. "Yes. This should work quite well," he assured her.

"How long will it take?"

The troll smiled slightly before raising his palm above the outstretched necklace. As Elsa watched in fascination, Pabbie twitched his fingers slightly. She could hear faint, unfamiliar words hushed under his breath before, apparently satisfied, he withdrew his arm.

"The spell should kick in within a moment," he explained. "It is one of the most rudimentary uses of magic that we possess."

Elsa frowned. "Kick in-?"

Knowledge flooded into her mind. She knew where Anna was. The Queen couldn't put the sensation into words, but she was suddenly aware of what direction she must take to find her consort. It was almost as if she could feel the redhead...thousands of miles away.

"I-I can..."

"Yes," Pabbie nodded. "As long as you are touching that necklace, you will know where to find her. The sensation will only grow stronger as the distance between her and the object itself decreases."

Elsa's heart leapt. The future was no longer a dark, formless mass. She could find Anna. She could make this right. All she had to do was zero in on Anna's position and..."Thank you!" she said earnestly. "I'm going to save her; I'll leave immediately. You have my most heartfelt thanks."

Her companion nodded, but he looked uncertain. "Do you believe it is wise to attempt to liberate her alone? The King is bound to be heavily guarded. Perhaps you should gather some support-"

"No," Elsa said firmly. "Brining any of my men to Lucrania would take far too long, and I have no need of their assistance. They need not give up their lives in an assault when I could finish the task on my own."

\

Fifteen minutes later, Elsa was preparing to leave. A bag of food was wrapped around her arm, generously provided by the trolls. The news of Anna's abduction had spread through the camp like wildfire, and every purple rock seems eager to help. Clearly, the redhead had made a memorable first impression upon them during her brief visit.

"Your Majesty?"

The Queen turned around at the sound of a voice...a human voice. Standing before her was a young, well-built man with blue eyes and a deep frown. For an instant, Elsa wondered what another human would be doing in the troll encampment, but then she remembered Anna's recounting of her journey and the details fell into place.

"Kristoff, correct?" the monarch asked. The man's eyes widened slightly at the recognition, but he nodded.

"Anna told me of how you assisted her," she continued. "For that, you have my utmost thanks. And my sympathies for your loss," the Queen added. Kristen's face fell at her declaration, but his head dipped once again in acknowledgment.

The ice-harvester appeared to hesitate for a brief instant before replying. "I...just wanted to wish you luck, Your Majesty. Anna saved my life; she doesn't deserve to be...left in the King's hands," he said carefully. "I would offer my assistance if I could contribute in any way, but..."

She glanced at him approvingly. "Thank you. But this is something I have to do alone. I can't transport anyone else with my powers, and ordinary means of transportation would be far too slow." It was mostly true. She could probably carry someone with her, but it would slow her down considerably. And as much as Kristoff wanted to help, there would be little he could do.

"I know. But there is something I can offer." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a handful of black beans that Elsa didn't recognize. "They help combat exhaustion," Kristoff explained at her look of puzzlement. "If you're tired before reaching Anna, chew these twenty minutes before going in. They can't substitute for a good night's rest, but they help. I use them most nights I go ice-harvesting."

Elsa hesitated. She was being handed an unfamiliar substance from someone she didn't know, and poisoning had been what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. But then again, Kristoff had been raised by the trolls, who were clearly eager to aid her…and Anna trusted him. That, more than anything else, convinced her to accept his offering.

"Thank you," she said, taking the beans from his hand. "I should be off now."

The Queen stepped back and prepared to use her powers, but a comment from Kristoff stopped her.

"I'm sure you're already aware of this, but Anna thinks the world of you. She was so desperate to get help from Grand Pabbie...I've never seen someone so determined. When he couldn't offer her any advice on how to keep you safe, she was devastated. Just...I thought you might want to know," he said.

The monarch sighed inwardly. Anna cared for her so much, looked out for her so much...yet she kept failing the redhead. No more. She was going to make this right. Elsa would rescue her consort from David's clutches or die trying.

"I...thank you."

Kristoff nodded. "Good luck, Your Majesty."

\

It took her two days to make the journey to Lucrania. Finding her way was even easier now, thanks to Pabbie's spell, but the distance was significantly greater. Elsa, deciding to use Kristoff's gift to ensure that she only had to rest once rather than employ it during her attack, managed to make it all the way to the continent before needing to pass out.

True to the ice-harvester's word, the beans had supplied her with considerable reserves of energy. The sensation had felt strange, uncomfortable even, but it had been enough to keep the Queen going for several extra hours. Finally, as the effect wore off, Elsa arrived in northern Corona and created an ice-house to sleep in...with a few golems as guards.

She wondered what her Council would think of her now. Here she was, the Queen of Arendelle, traveling hundreds of miles alone on a solo rescue mission to save a lowly peasant. Her dress was as immaculate as ever, of course, but with her hair unkempt, hands stained with dirt, and makeup completely washed away by a torrent of rain, Elsa looked less like a Queen with every passing hour.

As Pabbie had promised, her sense of Anna's location only grew the closer she got to Lucrania.

By mid-afternoon of the second day, she had crossed the country's border and was officially in enemy territory. Elsa tried to keep low in order to avoid being spotted, but the odds were that she would be seen by dozens of people. Still, as long as they were not too close to Anna's location, it was irrelevant. True, David would likely hear of her trespassing and realize her intentions if given enough time, but it wouldn't matter if she reached him first.

It was two hours after sunset when she saw it.

Her path had taken her into the southern-most province of the country, a region that was dominated by tall forests and massive plains of grass. Guided by the necklace in her hand, Elsa ended up in one such plain. In the distance sat a solitary circular tower, visible by the candlelight that illuminated many of its windows.

She broke off her magic- even at night the ice would give her away if she was too close, and it would be unwise to relinquish the element of surprise. The Queen would have to continue the rest of the way on foot.

With a wave of her hand, the ice of Elsa's dress lost its light blue coloration and became pitch black. Her pale skin would likely give her away before she could reach the tower itself, but the moonlight reflecting off her usual attire would reveal her presence far sooner to the guards who were doubtlessly on patrol atop the structure's roof.

The Queen paused. For so long, she had been so desperate to get to Anna that she had almost forgotten the significant opposition that would certainly be waiting for her. The tower in front of her was several hundred feet tall and at least a third that large in diameter. It was composed of stone bricks, she could now perceive, and topped off by an open, flat roof.

Judging by the lit windows, the building was roughly ten stories high. Altogether, Elsa estimated that the structure could house approximately one hundred men. Several were stationed on the roof, illuminated by the torches that some of them carried. And with the King himself in residence, the building's lower defenses were likely to be equally daunting. Already, she could perceive the outlines of a large gate.

But Anna was in there. Now that she was so close to her attendant, the Queen could literally pinpoint her location. The redhead was being held in a room on the ninth floor; it was located on the southern side of the building.

Elsa was alone against one hundred men. Anna had fallen to less than half of that number. Her creations would be of some help, but the Queen was only capable of materializing five autonomous beings of ice at any one time. Trying to surpass that number led to one of her existing creations winking out of existence. And the hallways were likely too thin for massive golems. The soldiers she would form would be more than a match for most individual men, but Elsa would still have to deal with several dozen guards with nothing save her personal abilities.

She almost felt sorry for them.

Any guard who surrendered would be spared her wrath. But those who refused to yield would face lethal force. It was regrettable. But this was a war. King David had attempted to murder the Queen of Arendelle, kidnapped her consort, and severely wounded Princess Rapunzel of Corona. And all of these men knew it. They might be following orders, but every man assigned to this important station would certainly have been made aware of the circumstances. Every soldier in that tower possessed the knowledge that their King had attempted to murder an innocent woman (and a sovereign ruler.) Just as they knew that a girl who had never sought to harm them was now being imprisoned and would soon be tortured for their monarch's selfish reasons.

The Queen would exchanging many lives for one, she knew. But Anna was an innocent. These men were complicit in David's crimes, and if they chose to defend him to the death then they would be sealing their fates. As she would make clear to anything she created, every man would be offered a chance to surrender. But only one.

Her heart beat more rapidly with every slow step she took towards the base of the tower. Elsa moved slowly; running would only get her spotted sooner. But the area around the building was occupied by nothing but grass, and even in her black dress the Queen was far from invisible.

She was a hundred feet from the tower when it happened.

"Down there! A woman!"

Scowling, Elsa shot ice from beneath her feet and zoomed into the sky.

"Holy shit…it's Queen Elsa! Raise the alarm!"

"Shoot her!"

A deep chime filled the air as one of the soldiers began to ring the watch bell. His compatriots either drew their swords or raced for their crossbows, angling for the Queen below.

Lips set into a contemptuous curl, Elsa twitched her fingers. A miniature cyclone appeared in midair, rapidly rotating around the Queen and moving with her as she glided towards the roof. Three arrows had sought out her flesh by the time she arrived, each deflected harmlessly by the chilly air revolving around her slim frame.

She touched down on the roof only a few feet from the small stone ledge, dispelling the cyclone as she landed. Facing her were five men armed with an assortment of weapons. Pure terror dominated their expressions, but they all looked ready to pounce at a second's notice.

"You all know who I am and what I can do. I'll say this once; surrender or die."

Two of the soldiers dropped their weapons and backed away cautiously. Three tried to oppose her. One of them scrambled to load another shot into his crossbow, while the other two raised their spears and charged forward.

Elsa raised both of her hands. The night roared as a massive burst of compressed air materialized from her palms. The gale charged forward, sweeping all three of her attackers off the ground. They flew dozens of feet into the air, only to be released and sent plummeting to the ground once they were well beyond the range of the roof.

"Stay still." Another twitch of her fingers and icy chains were rising from the ground. They caught both of her prisoners in the arms, their sheer weight forcing the men to their knees. Panic shone in their eyes, but other then some sore joints tomorrow they were unharmed.

Clutching the necklace again, Elsa focused on Anna's location. This close, she could perceive where the redhead was with ludicrous precision. The Queen couldn't see Anna, but she could feel her.

With a wave of her hand, the monarch created a wall of ice in front of her attendant. Together with the wall behind her, it made Anna unreachable by anyone but herself. If David or his men tried to use her as leverage to stop the Queen's attack, they would be disappointed.

Elsa imagined what Anna must be feeling at the moment. Elation. Renewed hope. She would know what that ice meant. And Elsa was not going to let her down.

The Queen ran backward and vaulted over the ledge. As she threw herself off the roof her hands were already angling towards the ground. A continuous jet of air shot out from both of her palms, slowing Elsa's descent to a comfortable fall.

After clearing the roof, entering through the main gate seemed counterintuitive. But the likely cramped hallways of the upper floors would suit her ill. Her powers were most effective in open spaces, where she could easily see her enemies before they challenged her. And like most buildings, Elsa was willing to bet that the tower's largest rooms were on its ground floor.

By the time her feet hit the ground, the Queen was already waving her hand. A giant gate stood before her, hard and thick enough to withstand hours of punishment from a conventional battering ram. But upon her command, the door suddenly froze over as impossibly low temperatures took hold. As the metal cracked, the monarch released a hail of large icicles. A dozen projectiles impacted the newly brittle gate.

BANG! The door collapsed in on itself, splitting into pieces as it fell.

The scene that greeted her was chaos.

Men, many of whom wore only pieces of their armor, were attempting to arrange themselves in a hasty defense in front of the gate. The alarm that had been sounded had not specified Elsa in particular, but all had been made aware that intruders were approaching.

Thirty pairs of eyes stared at her as she crossed the threshold into a wide-open room, empty save for the soldiers and a series of bright torches that sat on the walls. Behind the mass of men facing her was a large doorway; even from this distance, the Queen could perceive the stairs that laid beyond it.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Several trigger-happy soldiers fired upon her position. A twitch of her fingers and the cyclone appeared again, larger than it had been before. Five feet before they could reach her, the missiles were redirected and flew harmlessly into the stone wall.

"I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle," she spoke loudly to the astonished soldiers. "Your King attacked me without provocation and in doing so declared war upon my kingdom. I am here to see it ended. Drop your weapons and kneel to the ground and you will be spared. This is your only warning!" she proclaimed, the cyclone still revolving around her.

Hesitation appeared in the eyes of every soldier. But they outnumbered her thirty- no, forty- to one as more men continued to pour into the room from the staircase, and that emboldened their collective confidence. Roughly a dozen did as she commanded. The remainder brandished their melee weapons and charged.

Elsa waved her hand. The cyclone increased intensity, buffeting the men with its gusts. Several were knocked to their feet as they attempted to approach her. The Queen raised her hands and fired, launching two separate blasts of ice at her attackers. One impaled five men, the other three. All eight fell to the ground, and the room was now filled with the screams of the dying.

Many of the men gave pause at the show of power; a further five now sank to their knees and surrender. But fifteen more of the original group still opposed her, joined now by a further twenty who had descended from the stairs.

"Death to the Ice Witch!"

"For the King!"

A massive sheet of thin ice shot out from under her feet. It slithered forward rapidly, moving into the paths of two dozen of her enemies. Suddenly without balance, the vast majority slipped and collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"You cannot oppose me!" Elsa shouted. "Cease your struggle and I will spare you!"

Seven more released their weapons and dropped to the ground, but the majority of the fallen attempted to rise and join those continuing to struggle against the overpowering winds.

"Cowards!" A large, older man rounded upon those who had surrendered. Wearing a commander's lapel, he spoke with both outrage and authority. "We fight for the King! To the death!" he cried. The men on the ground ignored his plea, remaining in their defeated posture. In desperation, he hurled his sword forward as he spoke, but the weapon was turned aside long before it could touch her.

"Even if he is a murderous tyrant?" Elsa challenged.

"He is our King!"

The Queen hated these types of people. Those who were loyal to their monarch purely out of utter respect for their station. It was ironic, she knew, being a ruler herself. But being in charge didn't make a person automatically in the right. Good Kings and Queens such as herself should be respected, but blind loyalty was a foolish notion. In her mind, a King who had turned his back on morality had lost his right to rule.

A shard of ice cut through the air, impacting the defiant commander in the throat. He fell back, sputtering hopelessly. Elsa surveyed the remaining men, hoping the death of their leader would sap them of confidence, but only another three men surrendered.

The rest continued to attack with savage intensity. They inched forward, struggling to gain ground against her cyclone. Others continued to fire arrows at the Queen, hoping their projectiles would pierce her defense. One was even desperate enough to run to a blazing torch and light the tip of his arrow on fire before releasing it. But that too was deflected easily by the wind. Elsa did not like fire. But she had no particular weakness against it.

Sighing, the Queen released a large burst of icicles from her palm. True, none of the men had reached her, but many were fighting successfully against the winds. Within another few seconds, the strongest among them might well reach her with their blades.

The missiles impacted over a dozen men, killing half of them instantly and crippling the rest. Another twitch of her finger and a wide wall of compressed snow materialized between her and the soldiers. It sped towards her enemies. Five of the remaining soldiers were able to dive out of the way, but the remainder were taught by the wave of snow. Now carrying several men, it continued forward until it reached the stone wall in the back of the room.

All of them fell to the ground upon the collision. Dead or unconscious, Elsa didn't know.

One of the remaining five saw the futility of the situation and dropped to his knees. To Elsa's shock, the other four charged forward once again. They were either extremely foolish or extremely devoted to their King.

She whipped her arm in front of her. The cyclone, having protectively circled around her, now expanded violently. The gust of air collided with all four of the attacking soldiers, hitting them so hard that they flew backwards into the stone before slumping to the floor. Alive or dead, they were no longer a threat to her. Finally, she allowed the air to calm.

At last, the room was clear of enemies. The stream of latecomers continuing down the stairs had stopped completely, though she was willing to bet that many still were biding their time upstairs. Turning to her prisoners, Elsa raised her palms. Icy chains sprouted up from the floor, lashing themselves to both of the hands of every man in the room. The Queen wished she could have imprisoned all of the soldiers this way, but even she lacked that kind of control. For her chains to be effective, the target must be almost completely still.

"As I said, you will be spared. Once I am gone, the chains will melt and you will be free to go. Until that time, do not attempt to free yourselves," she ordered the stunned soldiers. As they processed her words, the Queen concentrated. Her mind visualized five deadly creations.

The unique one among them was a large snow golem, just short enough to walk under the ceiling comfortably. "Guard these prisoners," she ordered it. "Do not harm them unless they attempt to break free." Elsa could have commanded it mentally, but she wanted the soldiers to hear her words.

She turned to her other creations. Four soldiers awaited her orders, each armed with a wicked blade of ice. They were made of the same material; all were strong, tall, and imposing. Conventional weapons were capable of bringing them down, but they would not fall easily. And even then, Elsa could easily create more.

"Clear a path to the ninth floor; walk ahead of me and fight off any opposition. Watch for ambushes. Anyone we encounter is to be given a chance to surrender before they are attacked," she ordered. Though her creations were not truly sentiment, they could speak if she told them to.

\

Making her way up, floor by floor, was not easy.

The first staircase circled up until it reached the second floor, within which rested a large number of doors. The last of which contained the entrance to the next staircase, which circled up to the third floor...and the pattern continued.

Soldiers tried to ambush her at every turn. The majority of the tower's garrison had confronted her downstairs, but those too cowardly or too late had remained in the dense hallways above. They skulked behind doorways grasping their swords, hid on the stairways readying their bows, or simply charged with their weapons and attempted to impale her.

Now, with the danger increased, she let her creations do the bulk of the work. Raising their icy shields, they deflected arrows aimed at her heart and turned aside any sword intended for her neck. Each man they faced was allowed to surrender, and to her relief the majority accepted and allowed themselves to be chained by her powers. Evidently, most of the braver warriors had fought her in the lobby.

Many times, one of her soldiers was 'killed', but Elsa would always calmly form another one. Rather than hit their true target, every ambush hit an expendable- and replaceable- decoy.

Her heart continued to pound as they ascended the tower. With every step, she grew closer to Anna. And no one could stand in her way.

\

Continuing on with care, it was another hour before Elsa and her guards reached the ninth floor. Anna was here; she could feel the redhead's presence with hyper-intensity whenever her fingers brushed against the necklace. Her excitement reached extreme heights, but the Queen refused to allow her emotions to cloud her judgment. The opposition had thinned as they had cleared the last few floors, but it wouldn't surprise her if some were attempting to ambush her near Anna's location.

Thankfully, her attendant had not yet been taken hostage. The ice she had formed in front of Anna would take hours to break through, even for a strong man who wielded a sword. It was almost as hard as the redhead's blade.

This floor was different than the others. The doors were metal, rather than wooden, and its layout was harsher than the rest. This was David's prison. And Anna was at the end of the hall.

She beckoned her creations forward, and two of them opened the first set of doors. Nothing. But as Elsa took her initial steps across the hall, she heard a faint crying. And it wasn't Anna's voice.

It was coming from halfway down the hall, inside one of the cells.

She had her creations check all of the rooms in her path, but none were occupied. Apparently, Anna was the only prisoner in house. Three of her guards watching the rest of the hallway; she had the remaining creation open the door. The crying, she knew, could well be a trap.

But what she found wasn't an enemy soldier poised to strike. It was a young woman, slumped against the back of the cell with a look of utter terror on her face. She was adorned with blond hair so bright it reminded the Queen of her own platinum locks. Elsa would have believed her to be a prisoner, but her clothes were far too fine for that to be the case.

"Who are you?" Elsa demanded.

The woman looked up, her eyes alight with fear. "P-please," she begged. "I'm Jocasta...one of the servants here. D-don't hurt me...I just want to go home. I-I won't try to hurt you...just let me go!"

Elsa looked on her with pity, but this woman was not the first servant she'd encountered. All of the rest had already been chained by her ice.

"I can't take any chances," she said, making the woman start in fear. "But I won't hurt you. Stay still and I can bind you in chains of ice; once I'm clear of the fortress they'll melt and you'll be free to go."

Jocasta immediately held out her wrists. "Of c-course," she stuttered. Reluctantly, Elsa twitched her finger. Within half a second, the servant was bound. Nodding in farewell, the Queen left the room and continued down the hall.

The rest of the doors were empty. When she was satisfied that the remainder of the hall was clear, she instructed two of her guards to take up positions on either side of the alley, blocking off both stairways. Unlike the others, Anna's door was locked. With her remaining soldiers in position, Elsa summoned a blast of ice and blew it off its hinges.

Nothing. Her guards went in first, but there was no ambush forthcoming. All that greeted her was the wall of ice she had created earlier. She took a deep breath, knowing that Anna was behind the thick sheet of winter. With an impatient wave of her hand, she dispelled the barrier.


	41. Chapter 41

Words could not express Elsa's outrage.

In a way, David had kept his promise. Anna hadn't been tortured. Anna had been brutalized.

Her attendant was chained to the wall by two dozen shackles, clothed only in her undergarments. A series of blackening bruises marred great swathes of her skin, including most of her face.

But the worst inflictions were the burns. What looked to be a crude array of x's had been branded into her skin. They were everywhere; on her legs, her stomach, her cheek. The flesh that surrounded them looked as if it was rotting.

"Anna!" Tears staining her eyes, she ran over to the imprisoned redhead. Anna's eyes were sealed shut, and for a moment Elsa feared the worst. But a quick check of her pulse confirmed that she was still breathing.

"Wake up! It's Elsa. You're safe!" she shook the attendant frantically, but Anna refused to stir.

There was no time to waste. They had to get out of here. Elsa could heal her some along the way, but she would need her cousin to complete the job. The Queen concentrated, lifting her hand to Anna's shackles and being as precise as possible.

It took her five minutes, but she managed to freeze and shatter the chains without injuring Anna further.

She took the younger woman into her arms, being as gentle as she could. A horrible, empty sensation filled her as she ran her fingers over Anna's limbs.

Her arms were broken.

If not for Anna's presence, Elsa's powers would have frozen the room in rage. David hadn't even waited for her answer before commencing his torture. He'd probably tried to interrogate her attendant for information on the Queen's vulnerabilities.

And Anna hadn't given in.

Gratitude and regret rose within her with equal intensity. Some of her advisors still questioned Anna's loyalty, she knew. But the next person to voice that opinion would be expelled from the Castle.

She called in two of her soldiers, commanding them to take Anna into their arms with the utmost care. Above them was the tenth and final floor; an entrance to the roof was doubtlessly located at the end of its hall.

Sending one of the unoccupied creations ahead of her, Elsa ordered it to take point on the stairway. She waited until it was several steps in front of her, then began to ascend the stairway herself.

CLANG!

The din of a sword echoed throughout the stairway. A soldier having been waiting in ambush steadied his blade and pointed in her direction. The severed head of her creation landed at his feet.

"Begone witch! Turn back and you and your whore may leave in peace!"

David was still up there, she now realized. And that meant that Elsa would be finishing this climb.

Ice blasted from her hand. It traveled up the remained of the stairway, ensnaring the guard and pinning him to the wall. He dropped his sword upon impact, but that didn't deter him from thrashing desperately against his frozen bonds.

Knowing he was no longer a threat, Elsa willed a replacement creation into existence and bade him to scout the way.

"Empty, Mistress."

She nodded, making her way into the hallway and biding her remaining guards to follow her. Like all the other floors, an open curving stairway awaited at the end of the hall. Unlike them, however, there was only one large doorway. And it was sealed shut.

The King's bedroom. He must like to sleep directly above his prisoners. Charming.

"Check to see if he's in there, but leave him to me," she ordered.

Immediately, the door flew open. A lone figure leapt into the hallway, his visage all too familiar. Her palm shot forward, launching a blast of ice at the fleeing King.

He dodged to the side, flattening himself against the wall as the magic shot past. Then he was running again, making his way to the final stairway and curving up it just as a second burst of ice shattered behind him.

She ordered her creation forward, then set off behind him immediately. Her other guards, Anna in their careful embrace, brought up the rear.

This time, there was no ambush on the stairway.

Elsa walked through the doorway at the top. Save for her creation, there were three individuals standing on the roof. Two of them were the chained guards from earlier.

David ran to the edge, desperately looking around for a way out. There was none.

His back to the ledge, he turned to face her. A fierce panic shone in his eyes as he raised his sword, pointing it straight at the Queen's heart.

With a single thought, her most recent creation vanished from existence.

Perhaps David thought that he now had an opening. The King charged forward, his sword held out in front of him defensively.

Elsa raised her hand with deceptive calm. Suddenly, the air around his sword became cold. The lowest temperature the planet had ever experienced now ensnared his weapon.

The sword shattered like a twig, shards breaking off in all directions. With a cry of shock, David collapsed to the ground. A jagged piece of metal was embedded in his thigh.

As Elsa began to walk forward, he scrambled back towards the ledge pathetically.

"Mercy!" he begged, bracing himself on the ledge and climbing to his feet.

"Mercy?" Elsa cried. "Like how you showed her mercy?" She pointed towards Anna, now having been carried onto the roof by her remaining guards.

The King raised his hands in frantic surrender. "Please! Just leave me in peace! I'll never harm you again!"

Elsa continued walking forward, flexing her fingers expectantly.

"No, don't kill me! You can't! I'm a sovereign ruler. The nations of the world would unite against you!"

"Hardly," Elsa sneered. "I'm sure your men here will spread the story. You attacked me without provocation. You kidnapped my consort and nearly tortured her to death! This was a war. And I can finish it any way I choose."

The King leaned back against the ledge, sobbing now. "Lucrania will splinter. My death will tear the country apart!"

"Better that then it allow it to be left under your rule."

Suddenly, a ray of hope appeared on his face. "You wouldn't kill a man in cold blood!" he challenged. "I know your type, Queen Elsa! Kind. Moral. Virtuous. You would never be able to live with yourself!"

The Queen hesitated briefly, staring back at Anna. The redhead would tell her to let him go, she knew. Or at least imprison him. Even after all that had been done to her. That was just the kind of person Anna was. She could never bring herself to condone murder.

Elsa could.

A single, large shard of ice erupted from her hand. It impacted the King just below the shoulder.

A geyser of red sprouted from his skin. David gave one final cry as he stumbled backward, falling over the ledge and out of sight.

The Queen walked forward, ignoring the looks of astonishment from the two prisoners. She peered over the ledge. There, lying in front of the tower's gate hundred of feet below, was David's mangled body. Elsa observed the scene with a frown.

And felt no guilt at all.

/

Rapunzel sat in her room alone, her husband having gone to train with her brother. She knew she should follow their example...do something, anything, to occupy her mind, but for once the energetic Princess couldn't muster up the will to move.

She knew Anna's predicament was not her fault. But that didn't make waiting around for new any easier. She hadn't known the attendant for long, but that didn't mean Rapunzel didn't care for her deeply.

Although Anna's sacrifice had been made first and foremost for Elsa, the Princess knew that the redhead's choice had also been for her benefit. She could have ridden off with her Queen immediately and left Rapunzel to fend for herself. She had no obligation to protect the royal family of Corona.

And now, as Elsa went off to rescue her consort, Rapunzel had two friends to worry about.

BANG!

The door to her chambers flew open. There stood Eugene, a look of pure urgency on his face.

Rapunzel shot off the bed, her face asking a million wordless questions.

"They're back," he said quickly. Relief flooded her heart, but the sentiment was dampened by the Prince's next statement.

"We need you. It's Anna..."

/

Elsa watched as her attendant was gently laid on a bed by the Coronan Royal Guards. Even after several hours of difficult travel, Anna was still dead to the world. Only her steady breathing gave the Queen the faintest sense of peace.

She's done her best to heal Anna as they'd traveled, but it hasn't been easy to focus her abilities while gliding through the air and using her free arm to keep her consort from falling to the ground. Elsa had managed to fix her arms, but the bruises and burns remained in full force.

The door to the guest chambers burst open. Rapunzel's expression immediately morphed from anxiety to devastation as her eyes took in Anna's tortured form.

"How...how could they...?" Tears glistened in the Princess's eyes.

Without a word, Elsa and her cousin came together in a hug. Rapunzel's sobs threatened to reawaken Elsa's own tears, but for Anna's sake she forced herself to remain somewhat composed.

"I tried my best, but she's still...can you heal her?" the Queen asked.

"Of course!" Rapunzel broke off the embrace and hurried over to her unconscious savior. With no further preamble she let her freely flowing tears fall onto her friend.

Elsa hovered over the bedside as the Princess went to work. Her first tears went to Anna's arms, and the slightest of sounds alerted the monarch to the fact that the limbs had been completely healed.

Each drop that fell fixed another injury. Bruises disappeared without a trace, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin. The burns fared no better. With each tear that fell, it was as if they never existed.

Except for two. When Rapunzel's magic fell onto the burn on Anna's cheek and another on her stomach, the skin around them returned to its normal, healthy color. But no matter how many tears fell onto the x's there remained a small, swollen, x-shaped scar in the place of the two burns.

"Why aren't they going away?" Elsa questioned anxiously.

Rapunzel looked at her helplessly. "I...don't know. My guess is that these are the first burns she...received. They've been there so long and healed to such an extent that they don't count as injuries any longer. They didn't mend nicely...but they mended. And that means it's too late of my magic."

The Queen sighed. Sometimes, it seemed as if the rules of magic existed merely to make their lives more difficult. Of course, most people didn't have access to any magic at all, so it wasn't all that easy to complain.

"So she'll have those scars...?" Elsa began.

"Forever? Maybe..." the Princess admitted with a frown. "I'll keep trying, but..."

Elsa could see the futility in her cousin's eyes. If one tear didn't work, a dozen more would not make a difference. Anna would be left with those scars for the rest of her life.

Part of her wondered if that was such a bad thing. They were both relatively small, and they didn't make her any less beautiful in Elsa's eyes. Anyone who saw them would be reminded of Anna's bravery and her sacrifice; maybe this would convince her attendant's remaining detractors back in Arendelle to finally back down.

\

The physicians in Corona's Royal Palace couldn't confirm it, but to the best of their knowledge Anna's unconsciousness was the result of deliberately implanted sedatives. Elsa was dubious, knowing of her consort's resistance to toxins. But as Anna remained stubbornly asleep yet continued to breathe normally, it seemed as the only possible explanation.

"It makes sense. Sleep isn't an injury," Rapunzel offered. "It's why I couldn't wake you up when you were poisoned at the inn...and probably why my tears aren't brining her back right now. They probably overdosed her in an effort to keep her docile. She'll wake up eventually."

Elsa nodded. Hopefully, the Princess wasn't just trying to convince herself.

"Get some rest," she told her cousin. "You're exhausted." It was true. Hours had passed since the Queen's arrival, and Rapunzel hadn't been able to sleep well in days. Her cousin tried to offer some token resistance, but Elsa managed to convince her to join the rest of her family in sleep. "If there's any changes, I'll let you know," she promised.

As Rapunzel left, the monarch again looked down at her consort. Now that most of Anna's visible injuries had healed, Elsa now noticed the less conspicuous signs of her mistreatment. It was as if the months the redhead had spent in Arendelle's Palace had been erased from existence. Her cheeks were hollow. Her stomach far too flat. As they had been before Anna had moved into the Castle, her ribs were once again prominent.

It was the prospect of starvation that now worried Elsa the most. Anna's body was no stranger to hunger, she knew. But after weeks and weeks of experiencing the finest foods that Arendelle had to offer, it would not have been easy for her stomach to adjust. And it seemed as if a side effect of Elsa's magic was an increasing of the attendant's metabolism. By the time of their trip to Corona, Anna had been eating twice as much as an average woman yet remained in top shape.

They'd given Anna some liquids to forestall the effects of malnutrition, but if the redhead didn't wake soon, the consequences would not be pleasant.

\

The blast shook the world.

Even on the opposite end of the planet, she could feel the power of the magic at work. The ground rumbled…fire streaked across the sky. She could feel its influence pulling at her soul...compelling her to leave this plane of existence for all of eternity.

But it was not enough. The distance between her and the rift was too great. She'd prepared for this event for too long. Her element rose up around her, shielding her from the worst of the effects. Combined with the thousands of miles that separated her from the spell, her barriers were enough to keep her rooted on the earth.

Her compatriots were gone. And she was all that remained.

\

Awareness came back to her slowly.

Clearly, whatever Jocasta had dosed her with was still at work. Anna's eyelids felt as if they each weighed a ton. Mind still foggy, she lifted her arm to her forehead...

Wait, what?

The shackles were gone! And as her body fully returned to consciousness, she realized that her back was not lying against a brick wall but rather resting comfortably on a soft surface.

Adrenaline racing through her, Anna found the strength to lift her eyes. All she saw was darkness. Was this another aspect of her torture, designed to make her let her guard down before striking again?

Determined to take advantage of her unrestrained limbs while she still had the chance, Anna shot up from her back and scrambled off the mattress. She rotated her arms around her frantically, searching for an exit...or at least something that could be used as a weapon.

"Anna!?"

Bright light exploded throughout the room. Reflexively, the redhead tried to avert her eyes. But through the pain, Anna could perceive a large glowing snowflake rotating through the air. It was enough to illuminate the entire room.

Anna didn't believe the sight that greeted her. Around her was the room that she had shared with Elsa while staying in Corona. The Queen herself was sitting in a chair beside the bed, a look of both concern and relief etched onto her face.

Elsa rose out of her seat, gently stepping towards her attendant. "It's me, Anna...you're safe," she said soothingly. But behind her words, Anna could sense the fear that plagued the Queen. The monarch was moving towards her slowly, as if she believed that Anna would shatter if approached too quickly.

She's afraid the torture destroyed me.

Anna leapt forward, taking the Queen into a crushing embrace and tackling her onto the bed. She instinctively buried her head into Elsa's shoulder. Then she was crying, her tears dripping down onto the monarch's smooth dress.

For days, she had tried to be strong. She'd resisted Jocasta's interrogation and put up a front of bravery. But no more. Anna melted like a snowball in summer as Elsa's arms enveloped her. She cried out of relief. She cried out of fear...the fear that she'd desperately bottled up through days of agony. It was weak, she knew, unworthy of the Queen's foremost protector. But Anna didn't care.

Maintaining the embrace, Elsa rolled onto her side and clutched her attendant tighter. She whispered words into Anna's ear that were too soft to hear and yet proved immensely comforting regardless.

This was impossible. This had to be a dream. The last thing Anna remembered was being dosed with sedatives in her cell under Jocasta's withering supervision. How could she have ended up here? How could Elsa have found her so quickly?

"I'm dreaming..." Anna croaked out.

Her stomach clenched as Elsa hugged her still more fiercely. "You're awake, Anna. I promise! The trolls used their magic to help me find you, and I went in and got you out," the Queen explained quickly.

The trolls, of course!

Elsa had saved her. Elsa had dived into the pits of hell and hauled her out. Part of her still couldn't believe it, but if anyone could do it, it was the Queen. Half a year ago, Anna hadn't a single person on earth who cared for her. And now Elsa had risked everything just for her sake.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," the attendant breathed. It was a struggle to resist hugging the Queen as hard as she could, but Anna had a feeling that Elsa would not appreciate a shattered ribcage.

The embrace lasted for another five minutes. But as her euphoria finally started to simmer down, Anna became aware of the sheer desperation erupting from her stomach. The redhead was no stranger to hunger, but the effects of Elsa's magic and living in a Castle for months had made her all the more vulnerable to deprivation from food.

"Elsa...I need..."

"Right!" The Queen broke out of the hug and shot off the bed. She raced for the door, threw it open and ran out into the hall. Her normally serene voice was so loud that Anna could hear it easily. "Yes, she's awake. I don't care what the cooks are doing at the moment...have them make a meal large enough for ten people. As soon as possible!"

That done, Elsa returned to the room. But as soon as she stepped through the door, Anna could see the trepidation return to her face.

"I'm fine, Elsa, really. It was terrible...I'm obviously shaken up, but I'm okay. Okay, maybe not okay okay, but it could be worse. I haven't gone insane or anything, I promise..." Even to her, it sounded awful.

The Queen's eyes fell to the ground. "I saw...the marks, Anna. Rapunzel was able to heal most of them and fix your arms, but...I'm so sorry you had to go through that. If you don't want to talk about it, we won't..."

"No," Anna said firmly, causing the monarch to glance up in surprise. "We'll have to discuss it eventually anyway...and I want to get this off my chest. Come here and hold me?" she asked, her voice sounding like that of a five-year old girl despite her best efforts.

"Of course." Within moments, the Queen had made her way back to the bed. Anna curled up beside her, laying her head against Elsa's chest.

Before she could hesitate, Anna began. "I'm sure you know what happened back at the inn. I woke up in that cell...chained to the wall by a million shackles. David told me I was being held to stop you from preventing a war with Albion. They demanded that I tell them your weaknesses. At first, I thought you didn't have any...but then I remembered that you practice by the lake some nights. It wasn't much, but it was information they could have used."

"Why didn't you tell them I was afraid of fire, or something like that?" Elsa asked.

Anna sighed. "Their interrogator...she could actually tell if I told a lie or not. She had magic," she revealed, making the Queen start in surprise. "I was skeptical, obviously, but she proved it. So when I refused to tell her what I knew...she started."

The monarch gasped, and in that moment Anna knew she had to act. "Listen to me, Elsa," she demanded, looking into the Queen's gaze. "I'm going to say this once. It's not your fault. I was doing my duty...and even without my oath I would have done it all anyway. You did everything you could...you saved me from that hellhole! David and Jocasta are the ones to blame, not you."

Elsa nodded, but her face tightened. "Jocasta?" she asked.

"The interrogator," Anna explained. "So after I refused to tell them anything, she..." the attendant shuddered..."Used a brand and started burning me. It's not as bad as you think, I'm resistant to pain! It hurt like hell, but I managed to bear it. She started getting frustrated. Both my arms were broken after I spat in her face. But I didn't tell her a damn thing."

"I wish you had," Elsa admitted. "But it doesn't mean I'm not grateful!" she added as Anna shot her a look of indignation. "You sacrificed yourself for me. Again. You didn't tell them something that offered them the slightest chance of getting at me, even after they..." she paused. "I couldn't have asked for someone more...you're amazing, Anna. And I'm so, so glad that you're alright."

"All thanks to you, my Queen," Anna smiled. "But once I've eaten, we need to go find your Uncle and the rest of the family. I learned a few things and we really need to have a talk."


	42. Chapter 41

As the sun rose over Corona, two Royal Families and one personal attendant met in the King's Study. The meeting was delayed by several minutes after a certain grateful Princess hugged Anna and refused to let go, but once she reluctantly returned to her seat and allowed the remainder of her relatives to express their thanks, order had finally been restored.

An array of large chairs stood facing the regal desk, where the King and Queen sat side by side. One was taken by Prince Thomas, another by Eugene and Rapunzel, and the last by Elsa and the guest of honor.

Even with the gravity of the situation, the Queen of Arendelle couldn't help but be amused by the fact that several of the most powerful individuals on the planet had proven themselves willing to assemble at the request of someone who many would still call a peasant.

The entire room, Elsa included, was enraptured as Anna spoke of her imprisonment. Hearing her speak of her torture once again was difficult, but the effect seemed even worse on those who had not yet heard the tale. Eugene and Thomas winced painfully, and Rapunzel couldn't help but let out a strangled gasp. Marcus and Lenna, probably thanks to their many years of royal experience, took the news the most stoically, but even their faces broke out in sympathy.

The most shocking news was yet to come.

"I haven't even told Elsa yet," Anna was explaining. "But Jocasta wasn't working for David. Not really, anyway. He thought she was, but she actually wanted that information for someone else."

The Queen looked at her curiously. "Anna, I don't understand. Whom else was she working for?" Elsa asked, her mind whirling. Anna couldn't possibly mean that...

"I don't know," her attendant admitted. "She wouldn't tell me in case I managed to escape...I guess she made the right call there. But part of the reason she hated me was that I had 'Been a thorn in their side for months.' When I asked, she confirmed it. Whoever she's working for, they're the ones behind the attacks on you...us. The real reason she wanted the information was to help them."

Elsa sighed angrily. She'd told them the basics of her attack on the fortress. They knew David was dead, although for Anna's sake the Queen hadn't revealed all of the details. But they didn't know Jocasta's fate.

"Jocasta," Elsa breathed. "She had bright blond hair, green eyes, correct?" Anna nodded.

"I let her go," the Queen admitted sadly. Her eyes zeroed in on her feet. "She said she was just a servant...I had no reason to doubt her. I chained her up but I allowed all of the ice shackles to melt once we were gone. She's probably long gone by now."

"Did she tell you anything else?" Marcus asked as Anna's face noticeably fell. "Something that might lead us to them?"

The attendant shook her head. "She spent most of the time asking me questions. All I have is some bad news. We've all been played. The argument between Lucrania and Albion...the potential war. It was all them! Jocasta was David's closest advisor; she convinced him that Albion could be defeated easily. And she implied that they have other powerful agents elsewhere. Someone probably told Xander something similar."

"Why?" Thomas asked. "What did they have to gain by causing a war? There's no way they could have known that it would have placed Elsa in a position to be captured."

Anna turned to face him. "No," she agreed. "David decided to attack Elsa by himself; Jocasta was just able to take advantage of it. But this whole...thing has been their doing. They wanted to distract Elsa from investigating the attacks. This wasn't their big, grand scheme. Just a small piece on a big board. All David ever was...was a pawn. I'm sorry...I should have learned more."

"You did the best you could, dear," Lenna said, beating Elsa to the punch. "But if what she implied was true..."

"Then they're far more powerful and widespread then we believed. This just...doesn't make sense. If they already have influence over one kingdom and probably others as well, why are they so fixated on my throne? We're missing something here. I just don't know," Elsa replied.

"What about Lucrania?" Rapunzel cut in. "David didn't have an heir, and his position was weak. What's going to happen to the country now? Are they going to seek revenge? Won't other nations be angry that..."

Marcus help up a quieting hand. "The world will accept Elsa's actions. The prisoners she released will spread the news that David had imprisoned her consort and threatened her. No one can deny that his actions amounted to a declaration of war. As for revenge? David's guards were loyal to him, but the same can't be said for the rest of the country Those who take power might condemn Elsa for political reasons, but in reality they'll probably be grateful for her actions."

"I just hope we don't see a civil war," Eugene noted.

"We won't," Elsa assured him. "David might have been an exception, but Lucrania has always had a peaceful culture. Its citizens will have no stomach for infighting. Most likely the nobles will debate among themselves and elect a new monarch. There will be conflict, but money is what will be spilt. Not blood."

The King returned his gaze to the Queen of Arendelle. "There is one thing to keep in mind, Elsa. The nations of the world will accept your actions as justified. But many will still become even more wary of your powers. You just demonstrated your ability to bring down another monarch, even one under heavy guard, with no friendly casualties. That will make others Kings nervous."

"It can't be helped," Elsa pointed out.

"No. But it's something to keep in mind. In the coming years, Arendelle must be extra careful to demonstrate its commitment to peace. Anything less will generate a wave of hostility towards your throne," he warned.

\

"Ow! Eugene, get her!"

"She's too fast!" the Prince-consort shot back as he climbed a snowdrift. "And she can throw those things like-" he stopped as a speeding snowball impacted his cheek. Eugene fell backward, rolling down the slope and landing on his chest.

Rapunzel tried to take advantage, quickly gathering up a snowball in her hand and launching it at her opponent. A wide grin on her face, Anna easily sidestepped the projectile before launching another of her own, sending the Princess diving for cover.

The Ice Queen was picking them up tonight, during high tide. Unable to make any further headway into diving away to oppose their shadowy enemies, Elsa and her relatives had agreed to break for the day. Rapunzel, in her infinite wisdom, had beseeched Elsa to convert the Royal Family's small private garden into her personal winter wonderland.

She'd hesitated out of sheer surprise, but when Anna had added her voice to Rapunzel's, Elsa had agreed instantly.

Now she sat on a bench in a small corner of the garden that had been left untouched by her powers, watching the scene with fascination. Anna and Rapunzel had gone through so much recently, and now they were...almost normal. Elsa was glad to see it, but also...

"Strange isn't it?" a familiar voice intoned. To her left stood Thomas, staring out at the young adults in the snow with a distant look on his face.

She turned towards him. "Strange?" the Queen questioned.

"How quickly life can change. Two days ago, the world seemed as dark as it had ever been. Now here we stand, watching the three of them act as if the last week had never happened. Look at Rapunzel; I'd believe she still had two arms if I couldn't see her empty sleeve."

Elsa gave a short, uncomfortable laugh. "I didn't know you were a philosopher," she remarked.

"Just because I don't spend all my time reading old heavy books doesn't mean that I can't have a thought now again." His voice was light, but Elsa was experienced enough to perceive the strain hiding beneath the surface.

"How can they do it?" she voiced her thoughts. "Of course, I'm glad they're feeling better. But I don't understand. They've shrugged off what happened so easily. And now, even knowing our enemies are still out there in strength...they act as if they don't have a care in the world."

Ten meters away, Anna landed another hit on the Princess.

"Stop using your magic!"

"I can't just turn it off- Hey! Nice try, Eugene!"

Thomas sighed. "I suppose it's the way we were raised," he ventured. "You and I...we were brought up by our parents with the expectation that we would be ruling a kingdom within our lifetime. We were trained to have the affairs of our nation in our thoughts at all times. Ruling is a burden that can never be ignored. For us, it's impossible to forget our troubles even for a brief amount of time. We always have to have our guard up."

Elsa thoughts went to the top of her hair, where her tiara was placed. It was certainly possible for her to take the metal crown off and place it on the bench beside her. But its weight, for better or worse, would still rest upon her head.

\

They were seen off at the docks.

After a heartfelt farewell by the Coronan Royal Family, Elsa and the rest of her escort boarded the Ice Queen and set sail for Arendelle. The monarch had been more than willing to delay her return in order to rescue Anna. But now that her attendant was safe once again, she was eager to return to her throne and ensure that the kingdom's affairs were still in order.

Once again, Elsa and Anna shared the ship's royal quarters. Holding her consort in her arms once again...it felt like a dream come true. A large part of her had come to fear that she would never see the redhead again, but it seemed as if chance (for once) had favored her.

Still, the Queen knew that there would have to be a reckoning between them soon enough. There were several things that had to be discussed. But they weren't alone until they both settled down for bed, and by that time Elsa was exhausted. With barely a word between them, both women went to sleep within minutes.

Hence Elsa's surprise when she woke up in the middle of the night to find herself alone.

The full moon still clearly visible through her window, the Queen whipped her eyes throughout the room. Anna was nowhere to be found. With a nervous sigh, she threw off her blankets and created her usual attire. It seemed as if she was going to have to search the ship.

And she knew where to start looking.

\

From her position atop the crow's nest, Anna sat on her knees and did her best to focus her thoughts on the stars above. The full moon was shining brightly overhead, illuminating the sea around the Ice Queen.

She'd awoken in Elsa's arms. Despite the fact that she was still exhausted, Anna had been unable to rid herself of the urge to go out into the night. After spending so much time in a cell, being in one room for too long made bile rise in her throat. Hopefully, it was a temporary condition, but she wasn't too hopeful.

The world just wasn't the same. No…that wasn't it. She had been the one who'd changed. At first, uplifted by the euphoria of seeing Elsa again, Anna had felt fine after her rescue.

But once the joy had faded, Anna had been left with a series of haunting memories and a sense of fear that refused to vanish.

"You shouldn't be up here."

Anna whipped around, her hand reflexively going for a sword that was no longer on her belt.

Standing behind her on the crow's nest was Elsa, her arms crossed and a look of disapproval plain on her face. A trail of ice leading up to the platform was rapidly disintegrating, but even still Anna was impressed with the Queen's stealth. She relaxed at the sight of Elsa, doing her best not to let her nervousness show.

The attendant raised her hands defensively. "I'm fine, Elsa. I can climb up here easily even at night...and I'd probably survive a fall," she offered. "But since you've decided to join me, why don't you sit down?"

In an instant, a range of emotions flittered across the monarch's eyes. "I never said I was sorry..." she blurted out suddenly, as if she had been struggling to get the words off her chest for some time.

"Sorry? For what...oh." Truth be told, Anna hadn't been spending much time thinking about their fight over the last week- other concerns had occupied her mind. Any anger she possessed towards her Queen had long since dissipated.

The redhead sighed. "Elsa, it's fine. You were stressed...and I overreacted. I'm not saying it wasn't a terrible thing for you to say," she added quickly as Elsa made to protest, "But it's not really a big deal. And I think saving me from over a hundred trained guards more then makes up for it."

"Anna I-" the Queen stopped as her attendant lunged forward and claimed her mouth in a deep kiss. Elsa stumbled backwards against the ledge as their tongues danced, but Anna's strength kept them firmly grounded on the platform.

Pulling back, Anna smiled at the flustered monarch. "You made a mistake. You're sorry, and I forgive you. Listen...I know I seem fine, but I'd be lying if I said that my...the last week hasn't left me rattled. I need you to be there for me, so stop beating yourself up and come watch the stars with me."

Nodding hesitantly, Elsa followed her attendant's lead and knelt down against the ledge. For a few minutes the two women sat in comfortable silence, staring up at the night sky.

"Anna...do you ever think about trying to find them?" Elsa finally asked. "Your parents, I mean. I know you said that they dropped you off at the orphanage as a baby, but there's always a chance that someone in the area knows something."

She swung her head sideways to face the Queen, not having the energy to lie. "All the time," she admitted. "Some of the people at the orphanage were nice...but it wasn't the same. And a lot of them didn't like me- I always got into trouble. I wanted affection...I was desperate for it. After I left the orphanage, I wanted to find them even more. It wasn't just love at that point, I wanted a place to live...people who would support me."

Elsa pulled her close. "Did you ever...?"

"Look? Yeah. I did some poking around. A lot of it. But I never found even the slightest hint of who they were. No one at the orphanage knew anything, and neither did anyone in the village. I must have asked a hundred people...no luck."

"I could try," the Queen offered. "When we get back, I'll have some people look into it."

Anna shook her head. "I appreciate it...really, I do. If I thought there was the slightest chance that they might find something, I'd tell you to go ahead. But we both know it's impossible. They're probably dead, and even if they aren't...they don't want me. They knew where to find me for sixteen years. Even if we could find them, it wouldn't change anything."

One glance at Elsa's face, and Anna could see that the Queen knew she was right, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Besides, most of the reason I wanted to find them when I was older was to get off the streets. That doesn't matter anymore; I've got you to take care of me."

With that, Anna leaned fully into her Queen's shoulder, and Elsa began to stroke her hair soothingly.

"Are you certain that you're alright, Anna?" she asked. "You woke up in the middle of the night and I can't help but wonder if..?" she broke off, the implication clear.

Elsa's instincts were on point. Anna had dreamt that she was back in her cell, Jocasta hovering in front of her with the brand ready. She'd woken up just before it could make contact with her skin.

Anna was doing her best to put on a brave front, both for her own sake and Elsa's. She was well aware of the Queen's tendency to blame Anna's troubles on herself.

It could have been worse. Her resistance to pain had shielded her from the worst of the torture. But she was far more affected than she let on. The mere sight of candle-flame made her want to flinch. Looking at her scars in the mirror made her skin feel as if it had just been pricked with flame. Too little light nearly gave her flashbacks of her cell. And if she had to go into combat again…Anna didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

But Elsa didn't have to know any of this.

"I'm fine. I wasn't dreaming about...you know," she lied. "Anyway, I always sleep better when I'm with you," she said.

"Me too," Elsa agreed after a moment's silence. Anna hummed contently.

Another minute passed without a word spoken. Then she felt a sudden intake of breath in Elsa's chest.

"Anna, when we return to the Castle...do you want to move in with me?" the Queen asked, her voice uncharacteristically hesitant. Even in the dim light of the moon, Anna could see the monarch's face turning red.

"Uh..." she frowned uncertainly. "Haven't I already done that?"

Elsa let out a nervous laugh. "I'm not talking about the Castle, Anna. I meant moving into my room."

Oh gods. Living in the Royal Wing...sharing an admittedly massive bedroom with Elsa. Sleeping was difficult enough at the moment while she had the benefit of Elsa's comfort. Without it…

Her answer came automatically.

"Yes!" she practically yelled. "I mean...I'm sure it will make some of your advisors unhappy, but they don't like me anyways, so who cares? Well some of them don't like me; the ones that do probably wouldn't have a problem with it. Why am I even talking about them in the first place...I always talk alot when I'm emotional..."

The Queen smiled. "I'll have the servants bring your clothes into my spare dresser; there's more than enough room for all of your things," she said. "The guards will be informed that you have access to the Royal Wing even when I am not present, and my maids will simply have to get used to the situation."

Anna idly noted that these details could probably have been explained later, but was grateful for the excuse to stop rambling.

"As long as I get to share a bed with you every night, you could throw all my clothes out the window for all I care," she replied, doing her best to disguise how pleased she was and failing miserably. Finally, Elsa was making a move in their relationship. It wasn't exactly an invitation to make love, but it was an offer that was just as good.

Her eyes drifted to the Queen's full chest. Almost as good.

"That reminds me," Elsa said. "I have something of yours." She reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a familiar diamond pendant.

"My necklace!" Anna exclaimed.

The Queen smiled slightly. "Rapunzel gave it to me; it ended being the reason I found you. The trolls needed something of yours to make the locator spell work. When I touched it...I could feel where you were. I still can, actually."

Anna's eyes widened. "That's amazing! Can you...put it back on me?" she asked.

"Gladly."

The attendant turned around, allowing Elsa to once again clasp the pendant around her neck. To her disappointment, touching the necklace didn't give her any magical sensation, probably because she could already sense herself. But it still felt great to wear it again.

"I can't feel anything," she admitted. "But it doesn't matter. Before, I thought of it as a symbol of all you've done for me. Now it'll also be a reminder of how you risked your life to rescue me. I'm never going to take it off again," Anna decided.

Elsa laughed lightly. "That might make washing difficult. And if you're going to be moving in with me, you're going to be bathing at least once a day."

She frowned, swatting her Queen's arm playfully. "I guess you have a point," she agreed. "But I'm still going to wear it every day."

The older woman yawned through a smile. "Whatever you wish, dear. Now, can we return to our chambers? We both need our rest, and you're still recovering. I promise, there will be plenty of time to climb the rigging tomorrow."

The attendant winced. It would be pitch black in their room right now. And the last thing she wanted to do was return to the darkness.

"But I won't be able to see the stars," Anna complained. "And we can always catch up on sleep during the afternoon. Let's stay up here awhile. I heard once that some of the stars form some kind of pattern. Consta-somethings. I've been trying to find them."

"Constellations?" Elsa asked. Instantly knowing that was the correct word, Anna nodded vigorously. "I learned about them when I grew up; they're not easy to spot. And there's dozens of them."

Anna grinned. "Can you show me?" With a resigned sigh, Elsa sat beside her and directed their gazes to the sky.

"Well, that one's Ursa Major. You can tell by its..."


	43. Chapter 43

For the next two weeks, Anna's life enjoyed a brief period of normalcy.

What 'normal' was, of course, she wasn't entirely sure. Her time in the Castle had been far too tumultuous to establish what was to be considered ordinary. But there were no attacks on either her person or Elsa's, and that alone was enough for Anna to consider it a period of calm.

The Queen probably disagreed. Elsa was always busy, it went with the job, but recent events continued to pile ever more on her plate. In addition to her usual concerns as a monarch, she now had to monitor the situation in Lucrania and deal with the inevitable backlash resulting from David's death. True to Marcus's predictions, once the King was dead his guards had begun to tell others of the real story, and the juicy details had spread rapidly across the kingdoms. Fortunately, none of them appeared to have known the true cause of David's actions: Elsa's ultimatum. The King, it seemed, had not seen fit to tell his subjects of how he had nearly cowed to a foreign threat.

Of course, even when they were told, the facts had been a bit jumbled. There seemed to be a thousand tellings of how the King met his end. Some of the guards spoke truthfully, claiming that he went down fighting against Queen Elsa. Others stated that he had thrown himself off the tower in despair as she approached. To Anna's consternation, many even claimed that Elsa had killed him in cold blood.

But all of them agreed that David had essentially declared war, making any actions on Arendelle's part justified. This was enough to shield Elsa from third-party criticism. Many even praised her for taking steps to spare those who surrendered and ensuring that the conflict between the two kingdoms had been limited to a single skirmish.

Lucrania itself was a different matter. Nobles across the country had expressed their outrage for the death of their King, even as they sought to replace him. Many tried to claim that the entire matter had been an elaborate ruse, that no ruler of Lucrania would ever stoop to such actions. The rest of the world wasn't fooled, but it seemed to be a requirement to win support in the race to claim the crown.

The country's nobles were feverishly debating amongst themselves as to who would become King. Gold was likely being passed back and forth by the handful. But so far no violence had broken out, and Elsa was confident that this would continue to be so.

Of course, no matter who proved victorious, relations between Arendelle and Lucrania would be frosty for years. War was extremely unlikely; none of the nobles competing for the throne were foolish enough to challenge the Ice Queen and her vast military. But, as a show to the people they wished to rule, all of the candidates had pledged to cut off all trade between the two countries. And if the winner wished to retain the throne, he would have to follow up on that promise.

Elsa didn't appear to be very concerned. Exchanges between Arendelle and Lucrania had been minimal at most over the years, and there were always other nations willing to barter for Arendelle's resources. The Council expressed some token warnings, but even they did not seem to be overly worried.

There was still the matter of the copper veins. With Lucrania in turmoil, there was nothing preventing Albion from claiming the prospective mines. If Xander hesitated, his people would be outraged. Elsa had reluctantly written to the King of Albion, declaring that her ultimatum was now void. With her blessing, Xander was now free to lay claim to the entirety of the copper.

Anna had been shocked. But as the Queen explained, there had been no choice. Squabbling amongst themselves, Lucrania's aristocracy was in no position to even attempt to resist. Albion would take the copper without bloodshed. Xander would be condemned throughout Lucrania, of course, but the declarations would be nothing but empty words.

Maintaining the previous agreement would have been impossible. With Lucrania completely helpless, Xander may very well have indeed faced revolt by promising nearly half of the revenue to the other nation. Albion's people needed the revenue to forestall famine, and with David gone, Lucrania no longer required it to stabilize its monarchy. The victor of the 'elections' would have to get by without it.

This of course, was all in addition to continuing their as of yet fruitless investigation into the group responsible for all of this madness. They now had one lead: Anna's description of Jocasta. Evangeline had questioned her thoroughly on the interrogator's appearance, clearly elated at the opportunity to make headway. If they could find a single member of this conspiracy, perhaps she could be convinced to offer up some more names.

Recounting Jocasta's features made Anna's scars itch, but she was glad to do it nonetheless. It was stupid, she knew, but the attendant had a feeling that she would feel a bit more comfortable once her torturer was behind bars. The spymaster had immediately dispatched agents to Lucrania with orders to question the populace and search the land until their target had been found.

Watching Elsa struggle with work, Anna couldn't help but feel useless. She stood by her Queen every day, always on alert for physical threats. But apart from handing Elsa paperwork and delivering a message around the Castle now and then, there was nothing she could do. Anna excelled at three things: fighting, climbing, and eating. When it came to administration...she was out of her depth.

And Anna was facing her own share of problems.

Moving in with Elsa was wonderful. Sleeping with the Queen was usually enough to keep the nightmares at bay. But not always. David and Jocasta lingered in her dreams, always awaiting with a new form of torture. Several times she woke up in a fright, her sweat leaking into the bedsheets. When this happened, Anna would do her best to not wake the monarch beside her. But more than once Anna's awakening was accompanied by a gasp that immediately had Elsa's eyes opening.

The Queen knew of her fears, although Anna was still doing her best to disguise the full extent of them. When Elsa presented her with a new sword and a set of knives, each so similar to her lost weapons that for a moment the attendant had thought they had been recovered rather than replaced, Anna let her know that having them back was a comfort. But what she didn't tell Elsa was that, although their presence on her hip was reassuring, she didn't know what would happen the next time she had to draw them in self-defense.

The attitude around the Castle remained a thorn in her side as always. Thankfully the Royal Guards seemed to be somewhat more accepting of her now, owing to her defense of the Queen that they had all but witnessed. Her tale of the first time she rescued Elsa had been doubted. The actions she had committed the night of the Winter Festival had been committed in chaotic darkness and been hard to verify. But it was difficult for one to deny the cause of a dozen dead warriors and an escaped Queen when Anna had the scars to show for it.

Even with the rumors about her 'abilities' circulating amongst the entire Castle thanks to David's written words, the attitudes of the soldiers towards Anna was decidedly more friendly than it had been in the past.

But that improvement was more than offset by the scorn of the nobles. They'd never liked her before. But now that Elsa had risked her life to save Anna's and had invited the redhead to move in with her, those most opposed to their relationship were now unable to deny it in the slightest. Before, many had been convincing themselves that the Queen's interest in Anna was a temporary condition...an amusing placeholder until Elsa could find a wealthy man to welcome into her life. But no longer.

"They're being forced to come to terms with reality," Gerda told her after one young Lady visiting the palace had nearly tripped Anna (accidentally, of course.) "It's finally getting through their heads that a peasant girl may very well become their Princess-Consort. And they don't know how to deal with it."

\

"Dear, you can stare at your bishop for as long as you like, but you can't move it with your mind," Elsa remarked as Anna hunched over the chess board, desperately looking for a way out.

"Very funny," Anna huffed. With a sigh, she instead chose to move her rook to the other end of the board, taking out one of her opponent's knights in what was sure to be a temporary victory.

Still, in a way, Anna had already won. By finally convincing the Queen to take a break from her mountains of paperwork and rest her mind, she'd already completed her primary objective. Her secondary goal was to avoid being defeated within twenty moves, but that scenario was looking increasingly unlikely.

"Your lunch, Miss Anna," a familiar young voice prompted. The redhead swiveled in her chair to see Kayla standing behind her, a tray in one hand and a glass of milk in the other. Nodding gratefully, Anna beckoned the young servant to place them on the table beside the board.

"Thanks," she said as the young girl bowed to the Queen and was dismissed.

Elsa's eyes narrowed at the tray's contents. "Anna, what is...?"

The attendant smiled. Stacked on the metal tray were several sandwiches. Each was composed of one slice of bread covered in liquid chocolate and another covered in peanut butter.

"Chocolate sandwiches!" Anna mumbled cheerfully through a large bite. "I mean, you said I could ask for anything from the kitchens so I decided to mix two of the most amazing delicacies that Arendelle has to offer.

Elsa gave her an exasperated smile. "Normally people don't consider them an effective combination," she pointed out as Anna devoured the remains of the first sandwich.

"Well, maybe growing up in an orphanage gives someone different tastes than growing up in a Castle," she countered. Immediately, Anna regretted the words. They could easily be taken as a barb against Elsa's privileged upbringing...which seemed unfair at the moment given that it was the Queen's blessing that had allowed her to demand such an oddity from the kitchens.

Elsa frowned. "Didn't the orphanage have enough...?" she stopped as approaching footsteps sounded behind Anna's chair. "Yes, Kai. What is it?"

Again, Anna turned around to face their visitor. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but there is a rather insistent visitor at the front gate asking for an audience."

"And why have they not been permitted to enter and shown to a room to wait?" Elsa questioned. After all, Anna knew, that was the standard protocol when one of the nobles desired to speak with the Queen urgently enough that there had been no time to send a letter asking for an appointment.

Kai glanced at his monarch uncertainly. "This visitor does not possess a rank high enough to be admitted into the Palace Grounds without your express consent. And he is not asking to speak with you; he wishes to see Miss Anna."

\

"Kristoff!" Anna exclaimed as the gate opened.

She'd run across the Palace grounds, hurrying to the outer wall as quickly as possible. Elsa had been reluctant to let her go, fearing a trap, but upon Kai's description of the man awaiting her outside the gate, Anna had assured the Queen that she would be fine.

"Anna!" the ice harvester smiled. Without thinking, she lunged forward, taking him into a brief embrace that he returned despite the smirk that appeared on his face.

He was looking a lot better than when the attendant had last seen him. His expression still contained a hint of pain, but some of Kristoff's rugged charm appeared to have returned. "I see Elsa got you out of there."

Jocasta standing in front of her, a burning brand in her hand.

Anna blinked, willing the flashback to dissipate. "Uh...yeah! Thanks to Pabbie's magic. You came all this way just to check on me?" she asked, touched. Anna had wanted to thank the trolls for their part in her salvation, but Elsa had no means of sending a message to them, and journeying across the country in these times was an unnecessary risk.

Kristoff nodded. "Partially," he agreed. "But also to give you these." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out two small glass vials. Each was no bigger than a man's thumb and topped with a simple wooden cork. But the truly strange thing about them was the golden liquid sitting inside them.

"You came all this way to give me...honey?"

The ice-harvester rolled his eyes. "It's not honey. They're a gift from Pabbie. He's been working on them ever since I told him about the wolves that attacked us. Obviously, someone tracked you down with a locator spell."

Anna nodded. "That's what Elsa thinks. The two of us have tried to stay in the Castle as much as possible in case whoever did it tries it again."

"Then these should help. Drink one of these and it will become impossible for someone to track you with a locator spell. One for you and one for Queen Elsa. Pabbie's never done this before; it took him months."

Yes! Anna loved living in the Castle, but after weeks of being confined inside its walls she had started to feel like a prisoner. Maybe now Elsa would finally allow her to explore the city.

Then she had a thought that put a damper on those hopes.

"That would be helpful, but...what if one of us needs to find the other again? Elsa would never have rescued me from David's fortress if I'd swallowed this."

Kristoff dipped his head. "Pabbie's spells will still be able to track you. I don't pretend to be an expert in magic, but as the creator of the antidote, his own magic will be able to work around it. So drink this and the spell on your necklace will still work. It's only when someone else tries that..."

"This is amazing!" she snatched the vials from his hand eagerly. Despite the strange forces at work here, Anna didn't doubt his words for a second. Kristoff and the trolls had proven themselves steadfast allies; she'd already be dead if it wasn't for them. Part of her might have expected that someone was using magic to pose as Kristoff, but during her time with the trolls Anna had asked many questions. According to Pabbie, such a spell was impossible.

She grinned. "Guess there's no point in waiting..." Anna uncorked the first vial easily and brought it to her lips.

As the liquid trailed down her tongue and into her throat, Anna tasted nothing. Part of her was almost disappointed...the potion had certainly looked appetizing. Swallowing, she awaited the effects expectantly...only to experience nothing.

"You won't feel anything," Kristoff explained. "But as long as Queen Elsa takes the second vial, neither of you will..." he stopped.

"As long as I what?" a voice asked behind them. Anna turned around to see the Queen, a questioning frown on her face.

Kristoff bowed. "Your Majesty," he greeted respectfully, a look of surprise plain on his face.

"I told you I would be fine," Anna huffed. "You didn't have to come all the way out here just to check on me."

"Well I was worried. You do have a knack for getting into trouble, dearest Anna." The attendant scowled at her words, but neither of them missed the bemused smile that illuminated Kristoff's face.

\

"You're more than welcome to spend the night, Kristoff," Elsa offered.

The ice-harvester shook his head. Following their encounter at the gates, Kristoff had hesitantly accepted an invitation to join she and Anna in her dining room for a meal. Unfortunately, that appeared as far as he was willing to go.

"Thanks, Your Majesty, but I wouldn't really say that I'm the Castle-type."

"Neither am I!" Anna interrupted cheerfully. "And Elsa lets me live here. Come on, Kristoff, you'll survive one night in a feather bed."

He smiled ruefully. "Thanks, but I should be getting back to the trolls. Besides, my horse is stabled in the city and I don't think the owner of the building is keen on having him spend the night there."

Elsa opened her mouth to offer to shelter his mount in the Palace stables, but then dismissed the notion. No doubt he would immediately find another excuse. In the past two hours, she'd had the time to form a detailed opinion of the ice-harvester. He was still in mourning, she could see, but beneath his rough exterior remained a good man. Still, he was so used to the outdoors that sleeping in such a place simply didn't sit right with him.

"Very well. But before you depart..." she beckoned to one of the servants standing against the wall. On Elsa's command, the woman stepped forward and produced a small but heavy bag from beneath her overcoat. With another nod from the Queen, it was placed in front of Kristoff.

As the ice-harvester couldn't help but let his jaw drop, Elsa smiled. "The gold coins within this sack represent the equivalent of one-hundred thousand Kroner. I do not intend to imply that mere monetary rewards could make up for your loss. But in recognition of the deeds you have performed on behalf of the kingdom of Arendelle, it is only fitting that you receive compensation."

"Your Majesty, I only..."

"No. I will not hear of it. Even after you learned that Anna was a hunted woman, you agreed to give her a ride back to the capital even knowing she might be attacked. And when such an attack came, you lost both your best friend and the source of your livelihood. And without your efforts, we may never have learned of the trolls. Now you have just traveled across the country once again to provide us with aid. I insist that you accept this as remuneration."

With silent amusement, the Queen noticed both Kristoff and Anna staring at the bag with awe. Such a sum represented twenty years of work for an average citizen. For either of them...it was a fortune.

"T-thank you, Your Majesty." He rose from his seat and bowed deeply.

"No need for thanks, this gift is well deserved. If you wish to leave my Palace, so be it. Kai will see that you are escorted to the outer gate with no problems. And please, convey my thanks to Pabbie for all he has done. ...I hate to ask, but if he learns anything else that may be of use..."

Kristoff nodded. "I'll come back. Of course."

\

"Come on Elsssaaa..."

"I don't know, Anna," the Queen said firmly. "It's still too dangerous. If you had a compelling reason, perhaps, but risking your life to explore the city is something that I will not allow."

It had been three days since Kristoff's visit. Now that they were both protected from hostile locator spells, Anna had spent much of the last seventy-two hours pestering her Queen to allow her to go out into the Royal City. Unsurprisingly, Elsa remained hesitant.

Anna scowled. "How would they find me? And it would just be for a few hours. I'll just go and visit some shops, that's all," she protested. Again, the Queen shook her head.

Elsa didn't understand. She couldn't remain in this Castle forever. It had taken months, but Anna had now explored the Palace so thoroughly that she knew its layout by heart. It was still an amazing place to live, of course, but the air of mystery was gone. The longer she remained inside its walls, the longer she felt like a prisoner. If she could leave, just for a few hours...

"Whatever. I'll just go anyway. It's not like you can stop me," she challenged.

The monarch sighed, implicitly acknowledging the truth of her words. Short of imprisoning the attendant in the dungeons, there was nothing she could do. In matters such as these, Anna was perfectly happy to flout royal authority, and they both knew it.

"Why, Anna?" Elsa said finally. "You have everything you need right here. There's no reason for you to go into the city."

Save for the black lace of constriction that she felt tightening around her heart. Before the events in Lucrania, Anna's desire to explore the city had been present but far from overpowering. But ever since her imprisonment, she simply couldn't stand to remain in one place for so long. It was silly, Anna knew. Being tortured in David's cell had nothing to do with her remaining in Elsa's Castle. But Anna's brain didn't always run on such ridiculous concepts as logic.

"I just...need to," she admitted weakly. "The more I'm trapped here, the more I'm reminded of..."

Elsa's gaze softened. "Fine," she conceded at last. "Tomorrow afternoon. Tell no one you're leaving, I'll say that you're feeling sick and have been prescribed with bed rest. And just this once" the Queen added as Anna grinned widely. "We're not making this into a regular thing."

\

The Queen mentally groaned as Anna leapt forward and kissed her excitedly. Elsa despised the idea of letting the redhead wandering the city alone, even if she knew that Anna was more than capable of taking care of herself. But if she refused, then Anna would simply go anyway, and without the Queen's intervention it would become much more likely that someone in the Castle would learn of it.

I could just lock her in our room. But that would probably raise some eyebrows. And Anna would probably just escape by smashing through the wall.

Not that this didn't present Elsa with the opportunity she had been searching for. Two celebrations were being planned for the coming months. One was for the Summer Solstice. Unlike its opposite counterpart, that day saw a grand ball in the Castle…the largest of the year. Nobles from across the country would attend, along with their retinues. It was a massive event; celebrations lasted for an entire week. Even though it was still over a month away, its planning was already consuming much of the Queen's time.

The other gathering would be smaller, but it was only a week away. Elsa had done her best to plan for it without alerting her attendant…which was easier than might be expected thanks to Anna's total lack of interest in administration. But finalizing the details would be impossible to hide if Anna was still present.

And of course, there was one more thing.

She had agreed to an audience with someone from a far away kingdom...someone who she would have to confront sooner or later. Although her request for a meeting had not outlined its purpose, the Queen knew exactly what they were going to discuss. She would be arriving tomorrow afternoon.

All in all, it would be best if Anna wasn't around next afternoon.


	44. Chapter 44

"Your Majesty, Queen Elsa. It is an honor." Her guest bowed.

They were in her audience chamber, a welcoming sunlight room where she often met with those who desired to speak with the Queen. Her throne stood in the back of the room, on top of a raised dais. The chair itself was simple. It was formed out of silver found in one of Arendelle's many mines and engraved with a carving of the crocus flower, though the symbol was currently obscured by the monarch's slim frame.

The woman standing before her was relatively young, perhaps forty years of age. Her jet-black hair was graying slightly, but the blessings of youth had not entirely deserted her. She had traveled far, all the way from Antegria, a distant land to the east of Arendelle. Elsa wished she could have simply refused to meet with her, but doing so would have enraged this woman's supporters all the more.

"Priestess Lyna," Elsa dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"I am sure you are aware of why I am here, Your Majesty," she began. The bluntness surprised Elsa, but she welcomed it nonetheless. This confrontation was inevitable; there was no point in delaying it.

The Queen merely raised an eyebrow. "You have journeyed for weeks to meet with me, that is all I know. It does not do to make baseless assumptions about important matters."

Lyna's mouth hardened into a frown. "I am here, Your Majesty, to implore you to reconsider your current course. As a woman blessed with more power than any on this earth, you have been given a tremendous opportunity to do good. Instead, you have fallen into sin. Unless you repent, before long Arendelle will suffer divine retribution. I have come to offer you a chance to seek forgiveness and start anew."

The only outward demonstration of Elsa's anger was the tightening of her fingers around the throne's armrest.

Lyna was the de-facto head of the Chantry of Light, a religious body that worshipped one supreme, benevolent god. Of course, 'benevolence' was a subjective term. Their teachings stated that this nameless, genderless being was the ultimate source of good. Its followers were protected and rewarded. But those who strayed from its directives were punished, both in this life and the next. They didn't have a problem with magic, but certain types of love, on the other hand...

This Chantry had a small but relatively significant following in Arendelle. Few commoners adhered to its tenants, but some of the country's wealthier citizens were devout members of the religious body...including several nobles. Lord Liddel was one such person, though thankfully he had been the only one of its members on her Council.

In other nations, the Chantry had more influence. In Antegria, it was all but the state religion. Lyna, the first among equals of its Priests, often advised its King.

Antegria had no trade with Arendelle, due to its small size and vast distance away from Elsa's country. But if it did, the King would have certainly revoked any of their agreements by now. Recent months had seen Elsa flout the Chantry's teachings. Not that she had ever tried to follow them, of course.

"I do not follow your religion, Priestess. I live my life according to my own code. I rule my country with diligence and fairness. Every day I labor to keep my citizens safe and prosperous. Is that not enough for your god? I do not ask you to endorse my decisions, but is it too much to at least tolerate them?"

The Priestess's teeth clenched, her veil of politeness rapidly disintegrating. "Your actions are an abomination. To tolerate them would to be to renounce the Light. The people of your kingdom could stomach your actions no longer; more than one lord of Arendelle asked me to intercede. And this, I do gladly. I will not leave them to suffer alone as their kingdom falls into wickedness."

"I'm afraid that you have no choice. I do not consider my relationship with Miss Anna sinful...far from it. But those that do will simply have to accept it. As long as they are peaceful in their adherence, they will be allowed to believe in the Chantry's teachings...foolish and antiquated notions as they may be. But their beliefs will have no influence on how I conduct my affairs," she said firmly. "If that is all you have to say, you may consider yourself dismissed from my presence."

Elsa knew she was being far more direct than was custom, but she did not care if Lyna felt offended. In fact, she wanted the Priestess to feel slighted. Antegria had nothing to offer Arendelle, for all she cared the small kingdom could never contact her again. The few lords in Arendelle who already disapproved of her decision would be angered regardless. They were already angered.

"I am an emissary of the Light, I will not stand here and be insulted like this!" Lyna proclaimed.

"Indeed you won't. Guards, please escort this woman out of my sight and off of the Palace grounds."

The Priestess continued to shout religious dogma as two Royal Guards took her by the arms and, gently but firmly, escorted her out of the throne room. Elsa watched her go with a faint smile on her face.

The opposition to her relationship with Anna would always be a thorn in her side. But she could tolerate the pain. Some of those who opposed it possessed considerable wealth and influence, she knew, but not enough to present a significant threat. Individually or collectively, they could never hope to topple her reign.

It wasn't just for religious reasons. Many of the more conservative aristocrats had made clear that they disapproved of her choice in consort. Luckily for her sake, Elsa's parents had possessed considerable foresight. Throughout their reign, the influence of some of the older, more conservative families had been subtly but steadily curbed in favor of increasing the power of some of the more forward-thinking noble houses. The progressive branch of the nobility, while not exactly endorsing Elsa's choice in consort, would at least be willing to accept it. Some of them might frown in contempt at the sight of the redhead, but it would not affect their loyalty to the crown.

That didn't mean that there weren't plenty of people with power who disapproved of Anna. But it did ensure that they didn't pose a credible threat to her reign. Most of the most outspoken lords were stationed throughout the country...well away from the Royal City. They could write letters and make their contempt of Elsa's choice in Anna clear, but rebellion was not a possibility.

Still, the Queen wished that the announcement of their relationship could have waited until this conspiracy was dealt with. But Anna had forced her hand. Maybe it was better this way, after all...to confront the problem immediately and head on.

And so she was taking a gamble. With Anna guaranteed to be gone from the Castle for a few hours, she had time to prepare.

"Your Majesty?" Kai entered the room, hurriedly walking down the length of the audience chamber and offering a quick bow to the Queen. At a nod from Elsa, he continued. "Lady Evangeline needs to speak with you. Urgently."

\

Anna felt like she could breathe again.

Roaming the city was wonderful. She'd been to the capital a few times, but that had always been as a homeless criminal looking for work. Surrounded by well-dressed people, hundreds of stores, and extravagant food vendors…it had seemed as if it had all existed to remind Anna of the life she would never have. Could never hope to have.

And now she did. The world had been opened to her. Anna's pockets were filled with gold coins, all given to her by the Queen. Whenever she'd stolen, the money she'd pilfered had always seemed heavy, threatening to spill out onto the street and expose her for the thief she was. That sensation failed to trouble her now.

Elsa had ordered her to be back by sunset. Anna spent most of her time wandering aimlessly, enjoying the freedom. If she saw something she liked (mostly food) she bought it. Even the way shopkeepers looked at her was different. Before, whenever buying something with her ill-gotten gains, they had glowered at her with skepticism and mistrust. Now, sporting a clean face and wearing casual yet expensive clothes, sellers were eager to speak with her.

But perhaps of most interest to Anna was the chatter she picked up. Royalty, especially in the Royal City, was always a matter of concern. Anna was therefore only somewhat surprised to find herself as a popular subject of conversation.

As Rapunzel and Eugene demonstrated, it was not unprecedented for a Royal to find love with a commoner. But it would be the first time in the history of Arendelle.

The reactions among the middle and lower class ranged from amused to delighted. Elsa's parents had implemented policies that had improved their lot, and the current Queen had been continuing that trend. Her taking an interest in a peasant girl only seemed to reaffirm her concern for those who lacked power and status. Many were still skeptical that Elsa would continue the romance indefinitely, but the general hope seemed to be that the two of them would end up married.

Anna still hadn't dared to wish for the same.

It was a nice change from the attitude in the Castle. No one recognized her, of course. It wasn't as if Elsa had plastered posters of her attendant across the city. But the widespread approval was still gratifying.

But the opinions of the nobility could never escape her. Whispers abounded about the displeasure of the aristocracy. No one seemed to believe that it would lead to revolt, but many of the conservative lords had made their opinions on the matter plain. As long as Anna was in Elsa's bed, the Queen could expect no support from them.

For the first time in weeks, all of Anna's fear deserted her. Nothing triggered her horrifying memories. It would not last, she knew. But an afternoon of peace was worth more than all of the gold still in her pockets.

/

Elsa refused to get her hopes up. As suggested by Evangeline, the Queen dispatched a group of soldiers and gave the operation clearance to proceed. Based upon the facts at her disposal, it looked quite promising.

Too promising.

After months of failure, to suddenly have such a breakthrough seemed...impossible. Perhaps the universe felt that she was due for a little luck, but Elsa found that unlikely. It had never happened before.

Anna would want to know. But Elsa wasn't going to risk giving her so much false hope. If things worked out, she would inform the redhead immediately. But not before.

Later that day, the Queen was utterly relieved to see Anna return from the city in one piece.

But although her attendant's presence usually served as a stabilizing force, it now added to Elsa's stress. Planning a large party was difficult enough. But doing so while trying to hide the details from a person who spent nearly the entire day by your side made it three times as difficult.

/

"We need to talk, Anna."

The words cut through the air like a knife, sending a pang of terror straight through Anna's heart. What could Elsa want to talk about? Had their enemies made another move? Did the Queen want Anna to move back into her old room? Was the nobility starting an uprising? Had Elsa realized how much Anna was keeping from her?

"Uh, okay." The attendant sat down on their bed, having just finished changing into one of her nightgowns. It had been three days since her walk through the city, and like the two weeks before them they had been relatively peaceful.

Elsa frowned. "You're aware of the party the day after tomorrow, correct?"

"Of course," Anna answered, relief starting to sink in. Whatever this was about, it didn't seem like she was getting thrown out of the royal suite. "But I thought you said it was nothing special, just an event for the nobles that live in the city. Does the royal tailor need to get my measurements again?"

"No. It's...I wanted to keep this a surprise as long as possible, but the invitations were sent out today. The Council will certainly bring it up tomorrow and I thought you'd rather learn it from me."

Anna's mind spun. A surprise concerning her? Judging by Elsa's tone, it didn't sound good...whatever it was.

"What surprise?" she questioned anxiously.

Elsa's face suddenly broke into a wide smile. "This isn't a normal party, Anna. It's a Knighting Ceremony. Your Knighting Ceremony."

Oh gods...

Throughout her time in the Castle, Anna had learned about the details of Knighthood. It was far more than an ornamental title. To be a Knight was to be a member of the nobility. It meant to possess rank, authority, and recognition. Nearly all of the Knights named throughout the history of Arendelle (and all ten or so in the present day) had already been members of the aristocracy prior to receiving the honor.

"You...you're...me...why?" It was all she could manage.

The Queen's grin widened. "Knights are usually lords and army commanders who are appointed for performing a great deed on behalf of Arendelle. But being of high rank is not a requirement. Knighthood, at least in the traditional sense, is a reward for selfless acts of bravery in the name of the crown. I won't deny that this will be highly irregular, but I can think of no one in the kingdom more worthy than...

Her brain finally processing the news, Anna leapt forward and took Elsa into a deep kiss. The Queen was too stunned to respond, but even that couldn't damper Anna's euphoria. She was going to be a Knight!

"Gods Elsa," she pulled back. "I can't thank you-"

The monarch placed a silencing finger on Anna's lips. "Stop. This isn't something I'm giving you; you earned this. Three times, you all but threw your life away to save mine. No one can deny that you're deserving."

Anna's brain finally slowed down enough for the attendant to ask the obvious question.

"Maybe," she agreed hesitantly. "But why are you doing this now? The nobles hate me already. Isn't this just going to piss them off more? Shouldn't we wait until everything calms down?" Why am I arguing against this? Be quiet Anna!

Elsa shook her head. "Make no mistake, Anna. First and foremost, I'm doing this for you. I know that being my consort affords you some status, even if it is unofficial. But a Knighthood will be far more potent. If someone offends you, you won't have to go to me and request that I do something about it. The rank that accompanies an appointment supersedes that of a typical member of the aristocracy...in order for it to be a reward for those who are already nobles. Even in this Castle, you'll outrank the majority of those you meet. Anyone who tries to trip you...yes Gerda told me about that, Lady Alma won't be coming back anytime soon...can be banished from the Palace if you command it."

"That doesn't mean I will," she pointed out.

"True. But everyone else won't know that," Elsa countered. "Now, maybe you'll finally get the respect you deserve."

Anna couldn't help but smile at the thought, even as her mind returned to the point of the conversation. "I...really appreciate this Elsa. Even if you say I earned it!" she added quickly. "But what's the other reason?"

The Queen sighed. "A lot of the more conservative nobles take issue with you because of your low station. If I was able to...change it, perhaps some of their contempt for you will dissipate. The rank of a Knight is still lower than many would expect for someone courting royalty, but such a thing would be far less scandalous than for me to consort with a..."

"Nobody," Anna supplied. "I understand. But won't giving me a higher rank just piss them off even more? They'll think of it as if you're, uh, changing the rulebook of their favorite game. People don't appreciate that."

"It's a gamble," Elsa agreed. "But what I'm hoping is that, now that over a dozen Royal Guards have spread the story around, people won't be able to refute that you deserve a Knighthood. You'll have a high rank through completely legitimate reasons. I didn't change the rules. You were simply a very skilled and very lucky player."

Anna looked at her Queen skeptically.

"I don't expect it to work on all of them. Only some. And it's not as if we have much to lose." Elsa didn't clarify the statement, but Anna knew what it meant.

"They can't hate me any more than they already do."

The Queen winced slightly but did not deny the words outright. "Not all of the aristocracy hates you. Some approve of or at least tolerate your position as my consort. But when it comes to the most traditional nobles...yes. Some, I hope, will grudgingly accept that you earned your new rank. They're never going to love you, but it might make them quiet down. Plenty will remain stubborn. It won't have any affect, of course, on those who hate you because they can't stand the thought of two women being together. But they can hardly disapprove of you more than they already do."


	45. Chapter 45

Anna woke up and immediately felt giddy. For the first time in several nights, her dreams had been peaceful. Even the determination of her nightmares could apparently be kept at by the force of her euphoria.

"Good morning, Lady Anna."

The soon-to-be Knight shifted over in the bed to face her (unsurprisingly) awake Queen. "Lady Anna?" she questioned, causing Elsa's smile to brighten. "That's going to be my title?"

"Of course. That's how one addresses nobility, is it not?" Then, the monarch's face fell slightly. "Of course, I'm sure the Council is going to have some things to say about all of this. It's not going to change anything, but there's something you're going to have to keep in mind. Being a Knight is more than just a reward. It's a responsibility."

Anna nodded. "I know. I'll have to protect you with my life. That's not a duty that I take lightly, but I'm already doing that already...aren't I?"

"Of course, but..." Elsa winced. "It's more than that. Certain things will now be expected of you, and not all of them involve fighting to the death. You'll be a Lady of Arendelle and a representative of the Crown. During gatherings and meetings you'll have to act as a titled woman would. Wolfing down chocolates during a ball might be tolerated of a favored peasant girl. But not a Knight."

The attendant's teeth clenched. Suddenly, she didn't feel too giddy any longer.

"What's more, lords and ladies who enter my company will expect to interact with you as an equal. You'll have to learn the details of upper-class pleasantries and diplomacy. I'll still do most of the talking of course, but there will be a certain standard that you will have to meet," Elsa explained.

"Why?" Anna asked irritably. "Who cares what they think?"

Elsa fixed her with a determined stare. "You know the answer to that question, Anna. Some of the nobles opposed to our relationship might grow more tolerant of the situation if they somewhat believe that you deserve a higher rank. But if they think you are unfit to be a Knight, then this gambit will certainly fail. Anna, with times as tumultuous as they are, I can't be distracted by our own nobility. My focus has to be directed elsewhere and I can't do that if they're up in arms about you."

"So what do we do?" Anna nearly hissed.

"I've already talked with Kai and Gerda. While not aristocrats themselves, they know how to navigate the social circles that you are going to be thrust into. Especially Kai. From now on, you and he are going to meet twice a week, two hours at a time. He will instruct you on the manners and niceties expected of a member of Arendelle's nobility," Elsa explained.

"But-"

"And you will also be sitting down with Gerda for three hours each week to discuss other topics, such as Arendelle's history. I know you received a basic education in the orphanage, but that will not suffice for a Knight. There are many things your going to have to learn; a noble cannot be ignorant of her kingdom's past."

The redhead sat up in protest. "I'm not ignorant! I know plenty about Arendelle!"

"Is that so?" the Queen frowned. "Who was the first King of Arendelle? And in what battle was his rule solidified?"

Shit! "Uh, King Adgar...the first? The battle of...the War to form Arendelle?" she muttered hopelessly.

"Adgar the first was my father. And no," Elsa retorted. "Ladies are assumed to know these things. They come up in discussions often enough and it would be incredibly embarrassing if you were discovered to be ignorant of such basic facts."

"So you're trying to turn me into a Lady?" Anna questioned.

Elsa hesitated, then nodded slightly. "I suppose you could phrase it that way."

"It's not going to work!" Anna shouted, the intensity of her voice actually making the Queen recoil in surprise. "I'm not a Lady...or a noble or an aristocrat or whatever you want to call it! I'm a peasant girl who was practically raised on the streets. I thought you accepted that! Now you're trying to change me into some kind of noble...I guess you finally realized that who am I just wasn't worthy of you," she said bitterly.

"You know that's not true!" Elsa shot back. "I don't want to change you. It was a peasant girl that I fell in love with; I don't want to make her into something she's not. All I'm trying to do is make this transition easier for you. I phrased that wrong, I'm not trying to 'turn you into anything.' We just need to...create a mask, you could say, for you to wear when you're dealing with certain people. If it was just for me, I'd be happy if you never changed at all in front of anyone for the rest of your life. But I have to take the rest of the nobility into consideration. I'm sorry."

Anna lowered her eyes guiltily, knowing she had gone overboard in the heat of the moment. But still..."Fine. I understand. But you should have talked with me about this before going ahead. It's too late now, with the invitations sent out. But did you ever think for a moment that I might not want to be a Knight if it meant all of this crap?"

It was Elsa's turn to nod. "You're right. I didn't realize how difficult this might be for you; I'm sorry, I should have given you more warning. But this was inevitable. If you want to be with me, you have to be capable of interacting with the aristocracy. Knighthood or not. Anna, I'm doing everything in my power so that we can be together. You have to be willing to do the same. Learning from Kai and Gerda will be incredibly boring, and putting what they teach you into practice might not be easy, but isn't it worth such getting such a high rank? Isn't it worth...me?" Her voice quivered slightly.

And that was the point at which Anna surrendered. One brief moment of vulnerability from the Queen and Anna melted like a snowman in an inferno. Elsa was right, she knew. This relationship required sacrifices. The monarch was already doing the best she could; Anna had to do the same. Even if it meant being educated.

"Of course it is," the redhead agreed.

\

Elsa could feel the tension in the air as she walked down the length of the table, Anna right on her heels. Everyone in the room was prepared for the inevitable debate; most had probably chosen a side already. They'd all had more than enough time to read their invitations.

Reaching the head chair, the Queen sat carefully but confidently. She gestured with her hands, inviting the assembled nobles to voice their concerns.

"Your Majesty," Lord Arald was the first to speak. Elsa nodded at him to continue. "I would like to extend my congratulations towards Miss Anna for her appointment to Knighthood. She is...unconventional, I admit, but her valor has been demonstrated time and again since her arrival here."

The Queen smiled. She couldn't see Anna's face, but Elsa was willing to bet that the attendant was blushing. Arald's proclamation was expected but nonetheless welcome. He'd always been one of the more progressive members of the Council, but one could never be sure with matters such as this.

"While she has proved useful, Your Majesty, I must object to her appointment," Lady Catherine said firmly. "Valor alone does not make a Knight. Anna is, with all due respect, young, uncultured, and barely educated. She would be-"

"An embarrassment!" Kale interjected. "The first Knighting of your reign and you choose..." He shook his head in exasperation. "Making her your protector is one thing. But such a rise in rank is nearly unheard of. You will be subverting an ancient and honorable tradition in order to solidify her status as your consort!"

Elsa fixed him with a cold glare. "This is not a debate. My decision has been made. Anna will be Knighted tomorrow night, and I am confident that she will prove more than capable of handling the position."

Silence reigned for a moment.

"It is certainly about time that Arendelle has a female Knight," Evangeline offered. "But while I approve of the appointment, I must recommend that she receive some lessons in...decorum, before the Solstice Ball."

The Queen dipped her head, acknowledging the point. She resisted the urge to turn around and offer Anna a knowing smirk.

"A peasant becoming a Knight of Arendelle," Vance murmured. "It is most irregular, but if you find it wise, Your Majesty, I find no reason to question your judgment." Several heads around the table nodded in agreement with his words.

Elsa knew that their acceptance was more of a resignation than a true endorsement of Anna's Knighthood. Many of them still didn't like the fact that a peasant had grown so close to their Queen. But as it became clearer every day that Anna wasn't going anywhere, most of them had realized that arguing against it was a lost cause.

\

"A little higher, Miss Anna. That's it," the maid said approvingly as the attendant raised her arms and allowed the other woman to put the finishing touches on her sleeves. The uniform she was being put into was a piece of magnificence. It was made out of smooth cloth and velvet reminiscent of the kingdom's official colors: green, purple, and gold. Even when not yet fully buttoned, it gave off an air of pride and confidence that Anna didn't usually project. All in all, it was a work of art.

That didn't mean it was comfortable.

"I don't get it," she bemoaned. "Aren't Knights supposed to be experts in combat? I'd never have a chance against a swordsman wearing this stuffy thing." The maid, an older woman with graying hair, simply offered her an apologetic smile and continued to fasten the uniform's myriad of buttons.

A cough from the back of the fitting room made Anna turn around. "It would be better protection than the scraps of parchment that you usually wear," Drell remarked as he stepped into the room. "At least this uniform has some leather in it."

"Armor doesn't work for me," Anna retorted with a playful frown. "I'm durable enough without it. My biggest advantage is my speed, which doesn't go to well with wearing heavy metal plates."

The Arms Master nodded, his demeanor suddenly becoming more solemn. Sensing that he wanted to be alone with his student, the maid curtsied politely before exiting the room through the still open door.

"How many are here?" she asked nervously. Elsa had sent out invitations to every noble who lived in the Royal City, but it was doubtful that all three hundred and twenty four of them would attend. As they'd begun showing up, the Queen had shooed Anna off to get fitted into her uniform while she finished the preparations for the ceremony. By now, most of those who planned to attend had probably already arrived.

She wasn't sure what frightened her more. Having almost no one show up...or having almost all of them show up.

"Probably almost three hundred," Drell replied. As Anna debated sighing in relief or swallowing nervously, he continued. "I'd say it's an impressive turnout, all considered. Some of those who chose not to come probably did so out of opposition to your appointment. But I'm sure that a portion of the no-shows have other excuses."

In truth, it wasn't all that surprising. Most of the more conservative nobles were stationed outside of the Royal City. And the lavish ceremony set to occur in Elsa's audience chamber would be followed by a party in the ballroom. Few aristocrats would prefer to miss such an occasion.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Anna's face paled, but she nodded somewhat convincingly. "I'm fine," she lied. "How hard can it be? All I have to do is walk to Elsa when my name is called, drop to a knee, and then rise when she declares me a Knight of the kingdom." While surrounded by hundreds of lords and ladies, a lot of whom despise me.

Her teacher eyed Anna skeptically. "Remember, you've faced far worse than this. What's a ceremony in your honor compared to a horde of King David's soldiers baying for your blood?"

The cries of the horses as she cut them down mercilessly...their blood dripping onto the grass. Dozens of furious men surrounded her, eager to deliver Anna into Jocasta's arms. David rode on his horse. His face was triumphant.

"Right!" she agreed.

The Arms Master nodded, placing a firm hand on her soldier. "You'll be fine. Remember, this is your night. Everyone's here to celebrate the achievements of Anna of Arendelle, the bravest warrior in the kingdom."

"Please," Anna scoffed. "Everyone's here to enjoy the Castle's stockpiles of Coronan Wine."

"Well, that too," the Arms Master agreed.

\

She stood outside the doors to the throne room, biting her lip nervously. Any second now, her name would be announced and the doors would swing open. Anna hadn't yet gotten a glimpse of the crowd, allowing her imagination to run wild. There would be hundreds of nobles awaiting her, many of their gazes hostile. Would they throw rocks in her direction? Target her with crossbows?

Anna swallowed, forcing herself to calm down. Anyone save herself and the Royal Guards were searched for weapons upon entering the Queen's presence. No matter how much anyone in the audience hated her, death was not a possibility. Utter embarrassment, on the other hand...

Elsa had staked far too much on her appointment for Anna to screw this up. One wrong move on her part could give the Queen headaches for months.

"Anna of Arendelle!" a herald called, the doors swinging inward upon his words.

She walked forward, breathing deeply. A narrow, lavish carpet of blue and silver had been placed in front of the door, leading all the way to the throne's platform. Hundreds of well-dressed people stood on either side of it. All of their gazes were directed at her form. Some of them were welcoming, others disapproving. But all were curious.

The sun had set over an hour ago. A series of large torches hung on both of the walls, blazing bright enough to give the illusion that Arendelle was in high noon.

Above all, Anna knew, she must not look into any of the flames. The last thing she needed right now was another flashback.

Instead, Anna's eyes zeroed in on the tall, graceful figure standing beside the throne. Elsa's face wore a serene smile as the prospective night walked forward. Anna's sword rested in her hands. Concentrating, the redhead willed the scenery around her to dissolve as she focused on nothing but the Queen's lips.

Her gaze was so intent on the monarch's face that Anna's feet reached the base of the platform well before her mind had comprehended the fact. She stumbled briefly, caught herself, and awkwardly mounted the remainder of the steps. She thought she caught a quick glimpse of fear in Elsa's eyes before the moment passed. Then, as Drell had instructed, Anna sank to her right knee and bowed her head.

"Anna of Arendelle," Elsa began in her practiced, regal tone. "Five months ago, untrained in the arts of combat, you rescued me from treachery of the highest sort. During the night of the Winter Solstice, you willingly took an arrow aimed for my heart. And only a month ago did you stand against forty soldiers of Lucrania to ensure that Princess Rapunzel and myself escaped unscathed. In all three instances, only the most unforeseen of occurrences allowed you to retain your life. Accordingly, the crown wishes to grant you both the honor and responsibility of a Knighthood. Do you accept?"

Well, duh. Why else would we be here? "I do."

"Do you swear your strength to the service of the crown, your dedication to the protection of the weak, and your sword to the safety of the kingdom of Arendelle and all of its people? Until the last breath has left your body?"

Anna did her best to suppress a shudder. "Upon my life and my honor, I swear it." Upon her words, Elsa lifted the icy blade, touching it briefly to Anna's left shoulder, then her right. The redhead resisted the urge to cringe from the cold.

"Rise, Lady Anna of Arendelle, and take your blade." As the crowd clapped respectfully behind her, the new Knight rose to her feet and accepted the upturned sword from Elsa's grasp. She turned around, placing her sword into the uniform's sheathe with a relieved smile.

\

Lorana watched in utter shock as the newly minted Knight turned around.

She was the second daughter of one of the richer noble families in the city. Eighteen years in age, she had resigned herself to standing through the tedious ceremony before being led to the food and drink that awaited them in the ballroom.

It wasn't that Lorana or her family had anything against this peasant receiving a Knighthood. It was strange, to be sure, but if the Queen believed her to be worthy, there was no reason to complain. And if they got a party in the Castle out of it, all the better.

But a single, clear look at Lady Anna's face dispelled all of Lorana's thoughts of the impending celebration.

She'd seen that face before. It had been only for a few brief moments, but the light in her bedroom had been enough to illuminate its features. Lorana would never forget it, although she would most certainly like to.

It had been a cold, wintery night in the Royal City. Her candles brightly lit, Lorana had settled herself into bed with a good book and a large cup of tea. Her window was open to let in some cold fresh air, but it posed no risk. She had been secure in her family's large, guarded estate.

Or so she'd thought.

Lorana had only been a chapter into her novel when a loud, unfamiliar gasp caused her to look up in horror. A woman, probably not even twenty years of age, had climbed up to her bedroom window. It was impossible, yet there she had been. The second the intruder realized that its occupant was awake despite the late hour, she'd hurried back down the wall and bolted for the edge of the estate.

The guards had been called, but it was too late to chase the woman down. It was months before Lorana could sleep peacefully again. Eventually, she'd learned that many other wealthy citizens had been visited by a petty thief with a knack for climbing. The brief glimpses of her appearance matched Lorana's memories of her 'visitor' perfectly.

And now that face was being worn by a Knight of the Kingdom. A Knight whose past had never been verified yet now shared the Queen's bed. Lorana had never been a particularly active girl, but she knew her duty to Arendelle.

She would warn the Queen. She would warn everyone.


	46. Chapter 46

Even compared to the other balls she'd attended while in the Castle, the party was magnificent. The grand ballroom was crowded with nobles and dignitaries sampling a wide variety of Arendelle's delicacies. Dozens of circular counters were scattered throughout the room, Elsa and Anna each having been given a seat in the centermost table. Unlike the other gatherings, this party was more of a banquet than a dance. Since it meant that neither she nor the Queen would have to entertain any propositions, Anna had not complained.

She moved around the room, freely socializing with the guests. The atmosphere was decidedly more welcome than before. For once, Anna felt like one of them. "What a lovely sword, milady." "Congratulations, Lady Anna." Finally, the attendant had achieved a modicum of acceptance from the aristocracy.

Anna did her best to behave properly, as Elsa had instructed. She spoke cordially with anyone who introduced themselves, ate her chocolate calmly and cleanly, and drank no more than two glasses of wine. Socializing with this crowd still took quite a bit of effort, but no longer was it the arduous torture that it had been not two weeks ago.

"Lady Anna?"

The Knight turned away from staring at a large, chocolate cake to greet the woman in front of her. She looked to be about eighteen, no more than two years younger than Anna herself. She was slightly overweight, but that did little to detract from her smooth skin and soft smile. Her outfit consisted of a simple dress of white that was both relatively fashionable yet reasonably modest.

"I'm Lorana Altman, my lady," she greeted, accepting Anna's handshake. "What a lovely ceremony. I'm glad I was able to witness it. The first female Knight in centuries...and the first of Queen Elsa's reign! It must be an honor," she said warmly.

Anna smiled. "It is," she agreed as they detached their hands. "I was pretty nervous," she admitted. "But at least I managed through it with my dignity intact. I can't say I ever thought this would happen to me..."

"Indeed. Your historic rise is the talk of Arendelle," Lorana said. "Before you rescued Queen Elsa, you were a peasant, yes?"

The Knight nodded. Lorana's tone was curious, not condescending. She seemed to be a bit...aristocratic in the way that she mentioned the peasantry, but Anna wouldn't expect much else from a member of the nobility. She'd seen far worse.

"So what did you do before you rescued Her Majesty?"

Anna shuffled uncomfortably. This was by far not her favorite topic, but she sensed that Lorana's curiosity wasn't going to let her dodge the subject. "I lived in one of the orphanages for sixteen years. I never knew my parents; they left me on the doorstep as a baby. After I came of age, I got by doing various odd jobs. Working at inns, mostly. Some summers I helped farmers with woodcutting...or sailors at cleaning their ships. I didn't earn much, but it was enough to survive."

In actuality, Anna had rarely managed to get such work, and when she had she'd always been fired quickly. But there was no reason to tell Lorana that.

"Is that all?" the other woman asked curiously. "That doesn't seem like very stable work...or enough to live on for over two years. How did you survive for that long?"

Anna did her best to shrug nonchalantly. "It wasn't easy. I only had one set of clothes and didn't always have a roof over my head, but I suppose in the end I had just enough."

Lorana smiled sadly. "I'm sorry. I can't deny that I admire you greatly, Lady Anna. I've led a privileged life; I doubt I would have managed to last long in your situation. The only skill I have is climbing, and that wouldn't get me far."

"You like climbing?" Anna asked excitedly, eager to direct the conversation to a new subject. "Me too! Before I could fight, it was pretty much the only thing I was ever good at."

For an instant, Anna thought she saw a spark alight in Lorana's eyes, but it disappeared as fast as it came.

"How good are you?" Lorana asked with a curious grin. "Do you think you could climb up the wall of the Castle...as long as there wasn't any Royal Guards trying to shoot you down, that is?"

"Probably," the Knight answered. "I had a lot of practice growing up in the orphanage; I spent a lot of days climbing a waterfall. The other kids laughed whenever I fell, but by the time I was thirteen I could make it all the way to the top."

"Did it ever help at all? You know, before you met Queen Elsa?"

The redhead paled.

"Not really," she said, her voice cracking nervously. "I mean, uh, it was helpful when cleaning ships in the port, but other than that, not at all."

Lorana frowned thoughtfully. "That's a shame. Were you ever tempted to steal anything? I mean with not much money in your pockets it must have occurred to you. All you would have to do is climb up to some nobleman's bedroom and swipe his entire purse."

Anna froze; the piece of chocolate in her left hand dropping to the floor. No, this woman couldn't possibly be...

The other woman stared her down, her gaze like that of a hawk hunting prey. After a brief moment's hesitation, Lorana hurriedly backed away from the Knight and forced her way through the crowd until she reached the center of the room. As Anna watched in shock, the younger woman climbed up onto one of the center tables.

Within ten seconds, the entire room was staring at her.

A large, older man forced his way towards the improvised platform. "Lorana, get down immediately!" Lord Altman ordered, panic in his eyes as he stared at his normally polite daughter.

Lorana ignored her father. "Lords and Ladies of Arendelle, I have learned a terrible truth. This woman," she pointed at Anna, "Whom we have all come to celebrate, is a liar and a criminal! All of the thefts from the rooms of nobles over the last few years; they have all been her doing!"

The room stared at her.

"It cannot be!"

"Is this true?"

"Do you have proof?"

"I have none," Lorana admitted. "But I am certain. I will never forget the night she tried to rob me...or the look of her face. I know it is she. Even if this accusation destroys my reputation, I cannot stand by and let a dangerous criminal live within striking distance of our Queen."

Rage swept through Anna. "Dangerous?" she cried. "All I ever took was a few coins! I never hurt anyone!"

The room went deathly silent. And as Anna caught a glimpse of the horror and exasperation on Elsa's face, she knew she had made the greatest mistake of her entire life.

"It was you?!"

"She stole from my son!"

"A criminal...Knighted?"

"Arrest her!"

A blast of ice shot into the air, coalescing into a giant, hovering snowflake. The room's collective attention swung from Anna to the one person in the room capable of such magic.

"Anna has been pardoned!" Elsa declared. "I have known about her past for months; she told me immediately after she moved into this Castle. She was desperate, homeless, and unable to find work. Yes, she turned to thievery. But I know for a fact that she only stole small quantities of gold...and only from those who could afford to lose it. She never injured a single person during these crimes. Yes, it was wrong. But her actions were forgivable. She has redeemed herself...and earned where she is today."

A chorus of hostile mumbling arose in reaction to the Queen's words. Elsa's expression wavered just for a moment before a decision was made.

"This gathering is over. Lady Anna will remain a Knight in my service. I will grant reparations from my own vault to any who have lost a handful of coins in one of her heists. You are all dismissed. Thank you."

Horrified and bewildered, the mob of guests was slowly ushered out of the ballroom. Anna didn't wait around to watch them ride or walk back to the city. Before anyone could stop her, she tore through one of the ballroom's side doors and raced towards the Royal Suite.

\

Elsa sat alone in her study for over an hour. Her guards were under orders to turn anyone away. Be they a Council member, Kai, Gerda, or even Anna...no one would be joining her in this room.

How could this have happened? After their lives had finally seen some peace, one well-meaning, sheltered nobleman's daughter had ruined everything within five minutes. Knighting Anna had been a huge gamble, and now it had failed more spectacularly than the Queen would have ever thought possible.

Just as Elsa had chosen to demonstrate once and for all that Anna had her complete support, the redhead had finally been outed. In the back of her mind, the monarch had always been aware of the possibility. But as the months went by without a single hint of recognition from the dozens of aristocrats who had seen Anna, the Queen had become convinced that it would never happen.

She could have been more careful. Should have been more careful. But how? The entirety of the city's nobility would have eventually seen Anna regardless, even if she had never been Knighted. Elsa couldn't help but wrack her brain desperately, searching for a way through which this nightmare could have been avoided. But none came to her.

Much of the aristocracy had disapproved of Anna before this recent revelation. But now their outrage would increase threefold. For a peasant to be consorting with the monarch was bad enough. But a criminal...a thief who had preyed upon the ranks of the nobility for over two years? Even if Anna had never taken more than a few coins, her actions had instilled paranoia into more than one wealthy citizen of Arendelle.

Anna was up in their room, she knew. But Elsa hadn't spoken to her since she'd fled the ballroom in horror. A large part of the Queen wanted to comfort Anna immediately, but the rational sections of Elsa's brain knew it was a terrible idea.

Frustration and anger filled her entire being. Chances were, she would lash out at her consort as soon as they were alone. The Queen tried to tell herself that it wasn't fair to blame Anna for the situation. The Knight wore her heart on her sleeve, that was just who she was. And after all, she was utterly unpracticed when it came to interacting with Arendelle's upper classes.

But why? Why couldn't have Anna have shut her mouth? Just for once? She could have said nothing and simply acted surprised upon Lorana's accusation. It would have been just as effective, if not more so, than an emphatic denial. People would have still been suspicious, of course. But their reactions in such a scenario would have been nothing compared to the uproar that was about to ensue.

How could you have been so foolish?! Is one, brief moment of common sense too much to ask?

Elsa gripped the sides of her desk tightly. Her breathing was even and deep as she willed herself to calm down. Even with all of the Queen's diplomatic training, it was a difficult struggle.

But she had to do it...for Anna's sake.

Left alone, who knew how rash a terrified and guilty Anna could be? Would she run away, thinking that Elsa was going to abandon her? It was unlikely, but the possibility sent the Queen's heart racing even faster. Either way, Anna had to be supervised and comforted. And there was only one person who could do it.

She made a mistake. It happens. Blaming her won't fix anything; the damage is already done. She'll feel terrible enough already without you piling onto her guilt. Anna's given her life for yours time and time again without a second's hesitation. The least you could do is find it in your heart to forgive her.

But Elsa couldn't. At least, not completely. Not yet. But she could suppress it. Within a day's time, most of her frustration towards Anna would disappear. Right now, she needed to hide it as best she could. Even if the redhead was the most impulsive woman on the face of the earth.

It's not the end of the world. I'm still Queen, and I will remain Queen. I'm still rich and intelligent and gorgeous with the most amazing woman in Arendelle in my bed and nearly unstoppable magic at my fingertips. The nobility is not going to rebel over this. To do so would be a death sentence, and all but the most conservative are far too loyal to the crown to contemplate opposing me openly. They will complain, they will whine. I'll have headaches for years. But at the end of the day, I will still be the ruler of Arendelle. If it wasn't for Anna, I wouldn't even be alive.

Focusing on that thought, Elsa finally rose from her chair.

\

She could hear the sobbing from halfway down the hall.

Elsa moved past the seemingly stoic Royal Guards on duty and hesitantly opened the door to their bedroom. Anna's head was buried in a pillow; her body was splayed out facedown across the bed. Her protective instincts kicking in, the Queen moved over to the Knight and began to gently rub her back.

Anna's sobs gradually lessened over the course of the next minute. Finally composed enough to talk, the Knight rose to her knees and faced the Queen. Her eyes were red with tears; mucus was dripping down her nose towards her luscious lips. Her anger dissipating much quicker than expected, Elsa lifted her fingers and slowly began to wipe the tears from Anna's cheeks.

She knows how badly she screwed up. There's no point in scolding her for it.

"All my...fault," Anna managed through her continuing light sobs. "You have to...send me away. I can't be here anymore. The nobles, they'll...never let you hear the end of it. I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot!"

The Queen frowned sternly. "Anna, I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, this is a big problem. But I can deal with it. I am not sending you away. I made you a promise and I love you far too much to even consider breaking it. This-" she indicated Anna's uniform, "Is your life now, and this Castle is your home. One verbal mistake on your part isn't going to change that. It doesn't matter even if every single lord and lady in the kingdom calls for your removal. You are never going to live out there again."

"Thanks Elsa, you know how much that means to me, but-" Anna bit her lip. "You could send me to Corona," she offered sadly. "Your family would make sure I'm taken care of, and this way-"

"No," Elsa hissed, her frustration rapidly being converted into fear of losing the one she loved. "You are mine. You're reckless and irresponsible and sometimes just plain stupid, but you are mine. I don't care what anyone else thinks; we are not going to be separated. You are going to remain a Knight, my Knight, until the day you die. Or have you forgotten your oath already?"

Anna nodded vigorously, a small smile on her face. "Of course, my Queen."

Elsa wasn't cure what caused it. Arousal from Anna's words, her emotions running high from stress, or the possessiveness brought on by her fear. It was probably all three. But for one of the few times in her life, the Queen lost control.

She leaned forward, smashing her lips against Anna's. The Knight, judging by her initial reaction, was downright shocked, but it wasn't long before she began to reciprocate. But that didn't mean she was going to be allowed to take charge. The Queen pressed forward, pushing her tongue deep into Anna's mouth and pushing her consort back against the headboard.

She felt so powerful. The kingdom of Arendelle, its vast armies and uncountable riches...all of it belonged to her completely. Magic the world had never known could be called from her fingertips upon her slightest whim. And most importantly, Anna was hers...and glad to be hers.

Grasping Anna's hands tightly, Elsa deepened the kiss. Sensing what the Queen wanted, Anna laid back submissively against one of the bed's large pillows and allowed Elsa to control her movements. Fingers twitching excitedly, the monarch moved one of her hands to the Knight's uniform and began to undo the top button.

And then she realized what she was doing.

The Queen pulled back, retreating from her consort's mouth and shuffling off the Knight's body. It took all of a second for the grin on Anna's face to morph into a deep scowl.

"You want me, Elsa." It was not a question.

"Yes."

"Then take me."

Elsa shook her head. "Not now. Not like this. We're both so stressed that we're not thinking straight." It took the Queen supreme effort to resist the urge to ravish the red-haired minx in front of her, but decades of emotional training reasserted themselves. This was not the right time. Not when they were both so volatile to go from seething and sobbing one minute to passionately kissing the next. When they made love, it was going to be done right.

And at the moment, they had other concerns.

Cursing herself for being distracted so easily, Elsa pondered her next words. A long, painful talk was ahead of them. How they would deal with the Council. What Anna would say to those who questioned her about her unscrupulous past. How they would deal with the uproar. It would all have to be discussed within the next few hours.

The Queen took a deep breath.

\

He sat down in the red leather chair, gratefully accepting the glass of wine from the man sitting opposite him. He took a small sip, savoring the aged yet strong taste. His host, on the other hand, failed to take a drink from his own glass. Lord Ambrose Duron had never been known for his politeness.

"I'm glad to see you in person Ambrose. I take it that this invitation means that you are considering my offer?"

The noble in front of him scowled. "Considering it, yes. But I have many reservations. How do I know that this isn't all an elaborate setup by the Queen's agents? You'd be gathering all of her enemies together and slitting their throats in one stroke."

He nodded, understanding the point. "With another monarch, yes, it would be possible. But not Queen Elsa. She would never put so many innocents in danger simply to safeguard her own rule. And the last thing she wants at the moment is to antagonize the nobility further. Even after the recent developments, Elsa has no reason to suspect a true uprising. Only with my assistance, after all, would such a thing be possible."

"Perhaps," Duron agreed. "But why take such a risk at all? You're in the Queen's company often enough. Why not stick a dagger in her back the next time she walks past?"

He scowled. "You know as well as I do that anyone save Elsa's guards are forbidden to carry weapons in her presence. The rule is a holdover from more tumultuous times, but the monarchy has never seen fit to revoke it. Maids, nobles, and Council members alike are searched by the Royal Guards before they meet with her. Even guests arriving for a ball are scanned for weapons before entering a party. One of Elsa's ancestors had her throat slit during a dance, and since then..."

His host considered the words for a moment, then nodded. "And your plan neatly sidesteps such precautions. Based upon your letters...the scheme is well-thought out, I admit. And you seem certain that we would find success," Duron noted.

"Certain?" he laughed. "Nothing in this world is certain. But with the element of surprise and the proper planning, yes, I believe the odds would be in our favor. As long as you have as many allies as you claim."

"Of course. The vast majority would be content to sit on their asses and allow Arendelle to fall into ruin, but there are more than enough patriots willing to place it all on the line in order to save it. If your plan proves to be as reasonable as you claim."

He nodded. Since Lady Anna's disastrous Knighting Ceremony several days ago, the news had spread throughout the kingdom like wildfire. Much of the aristocracy was in an uproar as they realized that a former criminal could soon become their Princess-Consort. It had been easy to identify those most willing to rebel, though it was doubtful that any would do so without his assistance. Even the most conservative nobles were hardly willing to risk suicide.

But with what he could provide, the fall of Queen Elsa was suddenly within reach.

The revelation about the kingdom's newest Knight had been enough to send some of the most conservative nobles over the edge. They had never been happy to see a female Queen in power, not without a husband by her side. And her magic hadn't exactly won their approval. Choosing a peasant girl as her consort only enraged them further. But even then, their loyalty to Arendelle was enough to keep them passive.

The prospect of a notorious criminal becoming Royalty, however, was too much. Duron and his ilk had finally had enough. Convinced that the Queen would lead Arendelle to destruction, they were now willing to rise against her. They would find allies, he knew, with the religious fundamentalists among the ranks of the aristocracy. The conspirators did not have to agree on why Elsa had to be dethroned; they would be willing to work together for a common goal.

"And what happens after the Queen is dead?" Duron questioned sternly. "Will you seek the crown?"

"Of course not. I hold no desire to possess the throne myself. My only desire is to see Elsa destroyed. I will be happy to allow you to lead this revolt. Once the dust settles, it is very likely that the crown will fall to you."

Even in the dim lighting of the room, he could see the gleam in Duron's eyes. It was all too easy. Of course, in truth it was incredibly unlikely that any of the conspirators would end up in control of the throne. Duron and his ilk grossly underestimated the loyalty of the military and the populace to Queen Elsa's line. They were blinded by their love of tradition, assuming that the rest of the kingdom was nearly as outraged by Elsa's decisions as they were.

But it didn't matter. All that mattered was Elsa's death.


	47. Chapter 47

Anna kept her eyes down as she handed Gerda her completed assignment. It had been several days since the worst Knighting ceremony in the history of Arendelle. Despite the protests of most of the Council, dozens of angry letters from various members of the nobility, and a renewed sense of suspicion that seemed to accompany Anna everywhere she went, Elsa had refused to revoke the redhead's Knighthood. Consequently, Anna had been thrust into a series of lessons with Kai and Gerda.

She held nothing against the two head servants. In fact, she adored them. If either of them had been surprised by the revelation of her past, they didn't show it. Even now, treated Anna with the utmost respect.

But the Knight still hated these sessions. Etiquette had never been her strong suit. Since arriving at the Palace, Anna had learned the basics, but now she was being instructed in a level of manners that she had never even known existed. Kai was a competent teacher, but her progress was slow.

Yet even that was nothing compared to her miserable failure when it came to Gerda's area of expertise. Elsa had instructed the older woman to educate her consort in a variety of subjects. Now, Anna was brushing up on her reading and writing. Learning the operations of the...abomination from hell that smarter minds called arithmetic. And, worst of all, being expected to learn over a thousand years of Arendelle's history.

She was terrible at all of it.

Anna had been fine as a child while learning the basics of language. But anything more than that seemed to be beyond her abilities. It was as if her brain was hardwired to reject any higher forms of education. Words and letters seemed to shift around on the page as she struggled to comprehend them, and her memory was proving incapable of preserving the vast majority of the knowledge that Gerda tried to imprint upon it. Despite Anna's best efforts to the contrary, her mind lost focus constantly.

But no matter how much she hated this, Anna didn't complain. Guilt was eating away at her, and she knew that she was in no position to whine to Elsa at the moment. The Queen's substantial workload had probably been doubled thanks to Anna's latest mistake. If this was to be her penance, well...it was better than being thrown out on her ass like the embarrassment she was.

They were sitting in one of the Castle's many parlors. It was a small, comfortable room...and out of the way enough to give them sufficient privacy. Grateful for that seclusion now, Anna stared dejectedly at the desk below her as Gerda looked over the paper that the Knight had handed her. It was a short quiz about Arendelle's War of Unification, and Anna knew that she had failed it miserably.

A quick glance at Gerda's face confirmed that belief. She was trying to hide it, but Anna could see the disappointment in the maid's eyes.

"I suck," she said bitterly. "Don't deny it. I'm trying, I really am, but I just can't..."

Gerda cut her off with a calm yet firm glare. "You aren't performing as well as would be expected of most women your age, milady, it's true. But this is all new to you, and I understand how overwhelming this can be."

"Save it," Anna said bitterly. "I know I'm doing worse than you expected, even accounting for my background. This stuff just doesn't click with my mind. And stop calling me 'milady'!" she added.

"You are a Knight and will be afforded the respect due to that rank, milady. And perhaps your progress had been somewhat slow. But remember, you don't need to become Arendelle's foremost history expert. You only need to know the basics," Gerda intoned. "And my husband says he is impressed with how quickly you've been taking to his lessons..."

"Kai's too nice for his own good," Anna retorted. "I just don't get it; after everything that's happened, why have me remain a Knight at all? Couldn't Elsa just revoke my rank and be done with it? After all, the main reasons she did it were to make me happy and to try and get people to respect me...too late for that."

The maid shook her head. "It's not that simple, milady. To do so would make her look incredibly weak in the eyes of the nobility. She made a decision and she has to stick with it. Besides, you have been receiving more respect lately, haven't you?"

In a way, it was true. Even with the recent revelations, few would insult a Knight of Arendelle to her face. But outside of their immediate presence, Anna knew that the Lords and Ladies of the kingdom hated her now more than ever.

"And even if you were not a Knight, these lessons would have been essential eventually," Gerda said.

Anna looked up at the maid curiously. "Why?"

"A Knight must be well versed in the manners of the nobility and know the details of her kingdom's history, milady. But the same facts are even more true of a Princess-Consort, are they not?"

The Knight stared at her incredulously. Her jaw dropped; it was five seconds before her lips could form words. "You think...Elsa...marry..." Anna sputtered hopelessly. "After everything that's happened?"

Gerda nodded. "I'm surprised; you seem to underestimate the lengths the Queen would go to for your sake. When will it happen? I don't know. We both know Her Majesty can be...cautious when it comes to this sort of thing. But she will ask you for your hand. I suppose the only question that remains is whether you would accept."

"Of course I would!" Anna exclaimed. She would say yes within a second of Elsa asking the question, and not just for the obvious reasons. Yes, even though it made her nervous, she would like to be Royalty. Who wouldn't? She'd never have to deal with anyone's shit again. But even more importantly, a marriage between them meant that Elsa was hers. As much as she tried to get rid of it, there remained the small but persistent fear in her gut that the Queen would one day decide that Anna was unworthy. A proposal would put that anxiety to rest forever.

But it was up to Elsa to ask. Even with her new rank, her station was too low to ask a Queen for her hand.

The older woman smiled. "I know," she said simply. "And remember, much of the contempt the aristocracy has for you comes from their fear that you will become Royalty. Every day, they (like me) become more certain that the two of you will be married. Confirming it will hardly make it much worse, now will it? Of course, Elsa will probably at least wait until this conspiracy is dealt with and everything's settled down, but..."

Knock knock.

Smiling knowingly, Gerda broke off her sentence and hurried to the door. She swung the wooden structure aside to reveal Elsa standing there expectancy.

"Sorry for interrupting," the Queen said as she walked into the parlor. "I just wanted to see how everything was progressing." Making her way to the seated Knight, she leaned down and placed a quick kiss on Anna's cheek. Her stomach fluttering, the younger woman managed a nervous smile.

Gerda said nothing. Anna knew it was to give her the chance to make the decision herself: lie to Elsa...or admit how abysmally these history lessons were going. Knowing that the truth would come out eventually and unable to muster the resolve to lie to the person who she had just screwed over, the Knight decided on the former option.

"I suck," Anna admitted forlornly. "I've been trying, and Gerda's a great teacher, but..."

Elsa frowned. "Gerda, could you give us a moment alone, please?" she requested. The maid nodded, bowed slightly, and left through the door, leaving Anna to bite her lip nervously and turn and face the Queen.

The moment the door shut, Elsa sat lightly in Anna's lap and wrapped a reassuring arm around her soldiers. "I know that, Anna. This is going to take time. But you have to keep going at it. It'll click soon enough. It's not surprising; you've barely had any education before..."

Though grateful for the encouragement, the Knight couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice. "It's not just that. I'm...slow. Gerda can deny it all she wants, but it's the truth," she declared bitterly. "You're welcome to lie and say I'm not."

The Queen shook her head slightly. "Maybe when it comes to this...you are," she agreed; the words surprised Anna so much that she nearly did a double take. "But so what? You're not stupid; memorizing facts from a page is just something you're not naturally good at. It's not surprising. You're an expert warrior who hates sitting still."

Despite herself, Anna couldn't help but smile. Elsa had managed to be both earnest and encouraging at the same time, something she hadn't thought possible. Must be all that diplomatic and rhetorical training.

"For this, we're not on a deadline. All you'll need when it comes to what Gerda's teaching you is a moderate level of knowledge. Kai's lessons are more important, and he's satisfied with how you're progressing." At the look of skepticism on the Knight's face, Elsa continued. "He would never lie to my face. Don't put too many expectations on yourself. No one is perfect."

Looking at the elegant, graceful, and intelligent Queen in front of her, Anna found it hard to agree. Still, she nodded.

"How are things going on your end?" the redhead questioned guiltily. "Please tell me that none of the provinces have revolted thanks to me."

The Queen offered her a small smile. "Of course not. No matter how angry they become, can you imagine any of the feckless conservative aristocrats rebelling against the all-powerful Ice Goddess that rules their kingdom with an iron fist? There's one thing they value more than their traditions: their lives," she replied with exaggerated pomposity.

Anna sighed, knowing Elsa was just trying to make her feel better. "I'm-" she opened her mouth to apologize for the hundredth and twenty-third time, but the Queen cut her off with a finger on her lips.

"Yes, it's giving me a lot of extra work. But for you, I'd go through all of the mountains of paperwork again ten times if I had to. You've told me not to feel guilty for my mistakes...mistakes that nearly lost you your life more than once. Now I'm asking you to do the same. Yes, you messed up, but I'm not going to have to risk my survival because of it," Elsa said firmly.

Sometimes, Anna knew, the hard part of being in love wasn't forgiving the other person. It was forgiving yourself. Elsa was right; she'd been beating herself up for days; it was exactly the kind of thing she'd criticized the Queen for doing in the past. And it would not do for a Knight of Arendelle to be hypocritical.

"This was never going to be easy. The Queen consorting with a commoner, and a female one at that. Not completely unprecedented, yes, but shocking to many regardless. Anna, if I wanted a hassle-less courtship, there are plenty of handsome nobles who would fall to their knees and plead for my hand. The life you've been jolted into is like nothing you've ever experienced before; you'll be out of your depth for some time. You made a mistake. You'll probably make more mistakes. And it doesn't matter. You're worth it."

Anna had nothing to say to that. Instead, all she did was lean her head into Elsa's neck and allow the Queen to stroke her hair soothingly.

\

Elsa could have sat in Anna's arms all day, but she knew it would be rude to keep Gerda waiting for much longer. Reluctantly, she bade goodbye to her consort and left the room, promising to see Anna at dinner in a few hours.

She told Gerda to continue the lesson before walking down the hall. A stack of paperwork waited for her in her office, as it always did. And thanks to recent developments, it was considerably larger than it usually was. The Queen had told the truth; after her initial wave of anger had subsided, she couldn't really blame Anna for what had happened. But that didn't mean she couldn't still hate doing the paperwork.

"Your Majesty!"

The Queen turned around to see a young servant girl- Kayla, running after her. Coming to a stop several feet in front of Elsa, Kayla curtsied deeply before addressing her monarch.

"Yes?" Elsa questioned. This was odd. Typically, if someone needed something, one of the Castle's footrunners would be sent with a message, not a servant. But the Queen decided to shrug it off.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, but Lady Evangeline needs to speak with you immediately."

A jolt ran through the Queen. Had they succeeded? Was there finally a breakthrough at last? Thanking the girl, Elsa hurried through the hallways as quickly as she could while keeping her royal dignity intact. Reaching the door to Evangeline's office, she pushed it open anxiously.

What she found was the spymaster hunched over her desk, her usual stoic demeanor all but nonexistent. A light of triumph shined in Evangeline's eyes. Even more startlingly, her lips were curled upward to such an extent that Elsa could almost refer to her expression as a grin.

"They found her?" the Queen asked immediately.

Evangeline nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty," she nodded. The pleasure in her voice was palpable. "The operation went off without a hitch; Lord Deyer's guards surrendered without a fight. And she is where she belongs: safe and secure in the Castle dungeons."

\

Ten minutes later, Elsa was descending the steps to the Castle's basement. Her heart was pounding. Before she told Anna, she needed to see this for herself. Still, exhilaration was sweeping through her; she had more than one reason to feel triumphant. Not only did they have a potentially conclusive lead on the conspiracy that had shadowed her for months. But ow, perhaps, the Queen could finally exact justice on the person who would dare torment her precious Anna.

Flanked by two Royal Guards, Elsa hurriedly made her way down the hallway where she was being kept...

It was her! Even though they had only met briefly, the other woman's face had been imprinted forever in Elsa's mind. Secured to the wall by a shackle on each limb and contained behind an array of steel bars, the bright blond air and dirty brown eyes gave her away immediately.

Chained to the wall in an upright position, Jocasta could do little more than stare at the floor. According to Evangeline, King David's former advisor had said little to her captors during the journey from Lucrania.

One of the spymaster's men had heard a rumor that she was staying on the estate of Lord Deyer, a noble who governed one of Lucrania's more remote provinces. After planning out and carrying an assault on the residence, Evangeline's forces had apparently succeeded in their mission with no loss of life.

Lord Deyer had been questioned, but his assertions that he knew nothing of the conspiracy had eventually been believed. Apparently, he had even been unaware that Jocasta was a wanted woman, simply sheltering her because of a past friendship and believing that she could be useful in the oncoming era of political strife. This made sense; Anna had been told that David was likewise ignorant of Jocasta's true allegiance, and it stood to reason that the rest of his country had been the same. No evidence of the slightest sort had been found on Deyer's estate, and eventually Evangeline's men had agreed to let him be if he allowed them to take Jocasta with no resistance.

He had agreed eagerly.

"Open the door," Elsa ordered one of her guards. Nodding, the man stepped forward and placed a key into the lock. The metal bars swung to the side with a low creak. Her gaze fixed on the prisoner who had not yet acknowledged the visitors, the Queen again spoke to her guards. "Leave us."

Without a word, the two men made their way back down the hall. And as Elsa took two purposeful steps into the cell, Jocasta finally lifted her head. The look in her eyes was...unsettling to say the least. The Queen had been always been adept at reading people's emotions. What she saw in Jocasta's face wasn't the fear and uncertainty that Elsa expected. It was confidence and...respect?

"Queen Elsa, it's an honor to meet Your Majesty once again," the other woman spoke, her voice devoid of sarcasm. Elsa's fingers twitched violently, itching to wrap themselves around the prisoner's throat.

"I will offer you one warning," Elsa hissed. "In my entire life, I have never despised someone more than I hate you. The rest of your days, whether ten years or fifty, are going to be spent in this cell; you will never leave this room alive. Answer my questions and I will restrain myself from torturing you. Refuse, and your life will become a living hell. What you did to Anna will be child's play compared to how I make you suffer."

Jocasta laughed slightly. "Is that what this is about? That little bitch? Honestly, Your Majesty, I thought I was doing you a favor by taking that piece of filth off of your hands. One day soon you'll probably thank me for..."

Elsa forgot about her royal authority, the thousands of men under her command, and even her powers. One thought filled her mind: the woman in front of her must suffer. As much as possible. As quickly as possible.

Wham! She lashed out with her right fist, hitting Jocasta just below the jaw. No sooner did Elsa register the explosion of pain in her knuckles then she had struck again, this time slamming her other hand into Jocasta's nose. The Queen heard a crack and relished the sound. She launched a fist forward a third time, punching the prisoner in the gut with enough force to slam her back against the wall.

The Queen stepped back, willing her bruised hands to heal as she surveyed the damage done to the other woman. Blood was streaming from a cut on her lip even as she desperately breathed for air, but none of that diminished the light of defiance that shone in her eyes. Grimacing, Elsa balled her fists and advanced on her prisoner.

"Your Majesty!"

The unexpected voice was just enough to shake the Queen out of her fury. Standing just outside of the cell was Evangeline; her face was etched with concern. "Your Majesty, I understand your anger, but lashing out with blind rage isn't going to get us anywhere. She knows we can't kill her; she won't fear for her life. This is going to take time and must be done with care."

Taking a deep breath, Elsa nodded. Jocasta wasn't going anywhere, she knew, and Evangeline was right. Their prisoner was an expert in torture and interrogation, surely she knew a thing or two about withstanding such measures herself. They had her at their mercy, but it wouldn't be easy to extract knowledge from her smirking lips.

But she was willing to sanction anything to see that happen. If there was a shred of doubt about Jocasta's guilt, Elsa would have treated her humanely. But there was none. She was part of a group that had waged war on Elsa's reign and nearly tortured one of the few people the Queen loved to death. When it came to this prisoner, there would be no restraint.

"Fine. Start tomorrow. We'll let her have some time alone to think about her future. Give her no food tonight, and only a single glass of water," the Queen ordered.

Evangeline bowed her head. "As you command, Your Majesty."

\

Anna stepped out of the bath with a contented yawn; she always felt better after spending half an hour soaking in steaming hot water. Elsa's marble bathtub was even larger than the one in Anna's old room, and if she wasn't careful the Knight knew she could easily fall asleep in the soothing liquid.

After her lesson with Gerda had concluded (for better or worse), Anna had journeyed down to the courtyard for some combat training. No matter how angry she felt, the redhead always felt more relaxed after a few hours of whacking a target dummy and/or some of the Castle' resident soldiers to a bloody pulp.

The training grounds were perhaps the only public place in the Palace where Anna felt truly accepted. Drell, to her immense relief, had barely been fazed by the revelation of her past. He understood why she'd kept her thievery a secret, and in his view the newly anointed Knight had redeemed herself a hundred times over.

But now that most of the truth was out, Anna decided that her instructor deserved to know the full story. She told him about how she'd really come into contact with the Queen for the first time: attempted burglary. All he'd said in response was that in letting her go Elsa had made 'The most fortuitous decision of her entire life.'

The men she trained with, for the most part, had similar attitudes. They were well aware that if Anna had wanted to harm the Queen, she could have done it long ago. The Royal Guards had spread the story of her last stand against David's hordes, and the result of that sacrifice was still clear for all to see. At the very least, they could respect her as a fellow warrior.

There were traditionalists among them, of course, who shared the opinions of the more conservative members of the military. But none of the Castle's soldiers who had liked her before had changed their opinions based on this new information. She'd never stolen from any of them, after all.

Now dressed in one of her casual daily outfits, Anna couldn't resist the urge to unceremoniously collapse onto the bed. Despite her enhanced energy, it was still very possible for her to become naturally tired, and a lesson with Gerda combined with a long session of swordsmanship training was enough to wear her out. Laying on top of the smooth sheets, Anna closed her eyes. Elsa would be expecting her for dinner soon, she knew, but there was nothing wrong with resting for a few minutes. Especially when the bed was so soft...

\

She awoke to a gentle pressure on her lips.

Anna's eyes shot open to reveal Elsa above her; the Queen was smirking as she placed a chaste kiss on her lips. Still far too out of it to respond, Anna tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes as Elsa pulled back.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Did I miss dinner?"

The Queen nodded. "I'll have something brought up for you. I came to find you two hours ago, but I decided to let you sleep. Don't worry, there's not much on my plate tomorrow, so we can sleep in for a bit."

"Good," Anna replied. "I'm exhausted."

Elsa raised a hand to her lips, stifling a short giggle. "Even so, I don't know how you managed to doze off so easily. It's not dark out yet...and you aren't even using a pillow. Or a blanket, for that matter."

Yawning, the Knight lifted her head off of Elsa's sheets, doing her best to inconspicuously wipe away the drool that had made its way from her mouth onto the covers. A raised eyebrow from the Queen confirmed her failure.

"Hey, there were nights when I had to sleep in a snowy alleyway; sometimes it couldn't have been much more than thirty degrees out. Forget pillows, I considered myself lucky to have a log to rest my head on." Anna's tone was light, but Elsa's face still fell noticeably upon her words. The Queen's eyes were suddenly planted firmly on the floor.

Anna frowned. "You don't always have to look so guilty whenever I bring up my past," she said, rising to her feet. "It's not like it was your fault. I mean...you're the reason my life's not like that anymore!"

Elsa sighed. "I know, but I still feel...responsible, in a way. While I was Queen, living in luxury with plenty of it to spare, you were suffering in the cold. I can make your life better now, but there's nothing I can do to erase the years when you slept in the snow. It's foolish, I know...we had never even met, but you were still my subject and it was my duty to care for you. And of all the people in Arendelle, you were the last person who deserved to suffer so."

"You can't do everything," Anna pointed out. "Even the Ice Queen isn't all powerful. You and your parents have done more for the poor than any of Arendelle's previous Kings and Queens ever did. That orphanage was built under your father's orders, and since you took over you've increased funding for the Crown's charities." She moved forward on the bed, taking Elsa's hands into her own. "And every moment of hunger and cold, and growing up without love...it was worth it to meet you."

In a single motion, Elsa sat down onto the bed and wrapped Anna into her arms, taking the Knight into a fierce embrace that Anna gladly returned.

It was several minutes until Elsa spoke again.

"Anna," the Queen finally prompted, whispering into her consort's ear. "There's something you need to know."

The Knight's grin faded. She pulled back somewhat, keeping her arms firmly on Elsa's shoulders but giving herself enough room to stare into the Queen's eyes. "Okay," she replied nervously. "Uh...what is it?"

"Jocasta," Elsa began. Unbeknownst to her, the name alone immediately sent shivers down Anna's spine. "Evangeline's men found her; she's chained in the Castle dungeons. I'm going to make her tell us everything she knows. If she refuses, she'll suffer for what she...did to you. And if she tells me what I want to know...well, she'll suffer anyway."

A dark dungeon, lit only by the flaming brand clutched in Jocasta's fingers. Anna burned. She cried, begged...but there was nothing that could stop the pain. The only reaction elicited by her pleas was a widening of Jocasta's grin. The brand pressed further into her flesh...

It took several seconds for Anna's awareness to return to the present. The Queen's eyes were fixed on her face. There had been an undertone of triumph in Elsa's voice, no doubt, but also a flicker of uncertainty. Anna knew the Queen was wondering how she would take the news.

She was wondering that herself. It didn't seem real. After escaping from Elsa's wrath so cleverly and haunting Anna's dreams with a fiendish consistency, for her to suddenly be captured...the most dangerous piece of all had been abruptly removed from the chessboard.

And Anna felt invigorated.

"I need to see her," the Knight said suddenly. "She needs to know I'm alive; I need to look into her face and tell that bitch that she failed. I'm free and she's in chains. I want to see her chained like the vermin she is."

To Anna's shock, Elsa shook her head. "That's not a good idea, Anna. I know you weathered her torture fairly well, but seeing her face-to-face might trigger some ingrained trauma. You've recovered...mostly," she said. "There's no reason to risk a relapse."

You're wrong. You have no idea of what I see at night. What I see during the day. I can't even look at a flame without feeling nervous. What's going to happen the next time I have to protect you? How can I fight your attackers if I'm too busy facing the phantoms of my own mind?

"I think it would help," she replied truthfully. "I trust you completely, you know that, but my mind needs to...see it to believe it. I wouldn't hurt her or anything like that; I know you need to interrogate her. But I have to face her. I have to tell her she has no power over me."

Elsa frowned. "No, Anna. We don't know how you'll react. You're still -clearly- suffering from your imprisonment to an extent. I thought..." her voice briefly became uncertain. "But no matter what, speaking with her face to face would only make it worse. She's not going to give you any satisfaction, and she's certainly an expert at psychological manipulation, given her area of expertise. I won't allow you to face a relapse."

"You think you can stop me?" Anna challenged.

"If I have to, I'll order the guards to bar you from the dungeons. I'd rather not; it would undermine your reputation and we certainly don't need that at the moment, but I will if you force my hand," the Queen promised. "Don't you see, Anna, Jocasta probably wants you to visit her; it would give her a chance to break you further. Isn't knowing that she's suffering down there, completely under my power...is that not enough?"

The Knight dipped her head, knowing she wasn't going to win this argument. "Fine," she conceded.

Elsa gave her a single, unsuspecting smile. "Good. The last thing you need is to play right into her hands. But she will suffer, I promise. No one...no one, hurts you and lives to regret it. I can't kill her, but she'll eventually wish that I did."

The words brought Anna back to a night nearly six months prior. Prince Alec had tried to rape her within the halls of this very Castle. Anna hadn't known it at the time, but Elsa had come incredibly close to striking him down then and there. The only reasons he left Arendelle unharmed were due to the need to keep up trade with Westphalia for the good of Arendelle's people and the fact that he hadn't actually managed to harm her.

When considering a woman who had successfully tortured her for days and had utterly nothing protecting her from Elsa's wrath...Anna was glad that she wasn't in Jocasta's shoes.

And tonight, she was going to tell her that.


	48. Chapter 48

Anna slowly and carefully wiggled her way out of Elsa's arms. Thankfully, the Queen was a relatively heavy sleeper, and sharing her bed for countless nights had given Anna a good idea of what would wake her monarch up. She'd waited for over an hour, keeping her eyes closed and her body still, until she was certain that Elsa had drifted into the realm of sleep.

It took her nearly ten minutes, but the Knight managed to separate herself from her consort without so much as a groan passing from Elsa's lips. That done, she softly slid to the other side of the bed and gradually lifted the blanket off of her body. For once, Anna's chronic clumsiness remained dormant. It wasn't long until her feet reached the floor without making a sound.

On her tiptoes now, the Knight crept across the room and opened the door. The slightest creak made itself known as the wood slid inwards. Anna closed her eyes, praying for Elsa to remain unconscious...and the gods granted her wish. Sighing silently, Anna slipped into the hall and shut the door carefully behind her.

After another few seconds passed without a reaction from the bedroom, Anna was flooded with relief. Still keeping her steps silent, the Knight walked down the hall and opened the door to one of the unused Royal Bedrooms. Earlier, when Elsa had briefly left their bedroom to relay a message to the kitchens that requested a meal to be brought up for Anna, the Knight had hurriedly grabbed one of her outfits and deposited it underneath the spare room's bed. It would not do for a Lady to walk the Castle's halls in her nightgown, after all.

Two minutes later, the now properly-clothed Anna made her way down the hall and rounded the corner. As always, two Royal Guards stood on watch; they allowed her to pass without comment. Her confidence rising, the Knight made her way through the Palace.

No one would stop her now. Anna had free reign to move wherever she pleased within the Castle; everyone knew that by now. An order from Elsa could bar her from the dungeons, sure, but the Queen had not carried through with that threat. Anna had no doubt that she would have, albeit reluctantly, but not if she was convinced that the Knight would obey her command regardless.

Well, oh wise and powerful Ice Queen, looks like I fooled you.

She was close, now. Anna made her way to the main floor of the Castle and headed for the corridor that led to the dungeons. The guards on duty would glance at her curiously but allow her through, and then all that was left was...

"Good evening, milady."

Anna whipped around. Standing behind her in the hallway was Kai, dressed in his typical daily uniform despite the fact that the sun had set long ago. As she stared at him in shock, the head servant offered her a sympathetic smile.

"Oh...hey, Kai! What are you doing up so late?" she asked awkwardly.

"I could ask you the same thing, milady," he replied lightly.

The Knight frowned. "I'm, uh, just going for a walk. I couldn't sleep and I was hungry, so I decided to head down to the kitchens and see if there was anything left. Elsa's still sleeping."

"I see. It might interest you to know, milady, that the kitchens are in fact in the opposite direction of where you are heading," he replied, a trace of amusement in his voice.

"Shit! I mean...it's late, I'm tired, guess I took a wrong turn. It's a big Castle, you know," she managed. "I'll just be going now-" Anna moved to step forward, but Kai gently blocked her path.

"To answer your original question, milady, I am staying up late at the request of Her Majesty. She feared that a certain Knight of hers might not follow a Royal Command and instead decide to make her way to the dungeons even though she was ordered not to. Rather than order the guards to bar this Knight from seeing the prisoners, which would damage said Knight's already questionable reputation, she asked someone she trusted to wait near the dungeons and head her off if need be."

Anna's teeth clenched. Of course! When Elsa had gone to tell the kitchens to make something for Anna- she'd also given Kai this message. No wonder she had accepted Anna's word so quickly; she knew the Knight was going to go anyway.

"Fine, I'm going to see Jocasta," Anna admitted. "This is something I need to do. You can't stop me; please don't try."

Kai shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple, Anna," he said kindly." Her Majesty made it clear: if I am not able to convince you to return upstairs, then I am to relay to the guards her order to bar you from the dungeons."

No! She knew Kai would go through with it, too. She could see it in his eyes. And if he did, then Anna would never see Jocasta. Fighting her way past Elsa's loyal men was not an option; even if she only knocked them unconscious. The news would spread like wildfire.

"Kai, please..." she begged. "Elsa's trying to help me, she wants what's best, but she's wrong. She thinks seeing Jocasta will make things worse, but I know different. I'm less...recovered than I let on. This could help me heal...truly heal...for good."

There was a twinge of uncertainty in his eyes. Kai liked her. Trusted her. He knew that Anna was only doing what she thought was right. But that didn't mean that he was going to disobey his Queen's order. "Anna, I can't. I understand where you're coming from, but you'll have to take it up with the Queen. She's always been of sound judgment; I see no reason to doubt her now."

Anna glared at him. "You want a reason? She cares about me too much. It's overriding her judgment. Even if I can convince her logically that I need to do this, she'll never agree. She can't bring herself to take a risk when it concerns me. And she doesn't know how much...how much I'm damaged. I didn't want to worry her; you know she'd blame herself. Seeing Jocasta can't make it any worse."

The indecision on the servant's face became more apparent with each word she spoke, but still he countered. "You can't know that for sure, milady. This is a woman who tortured you. Perhaps your own judgment isn't quite...uncompromised. You don't know that this can't get worse."

The Knight nodded, accepting the point. "Maybe. But it's bad enough as it is-"

And then she saw it: the way to convince him. He and Gerda were loyal to Elsa above all else. And Anna was willing to bet that that meant that he would disobey an order if he was convinced that doing so would be in her best interest."

"Other than her own powers, I'm Elsa's best defense. I've proven that. I can't promise that seeing Jocasta will fix everything. But if I don't, then as things stand right now...I won't be able to protect her. Just seeing fire or hearing the clash of metal swords, sometimes even hearing Jocasta's name is enough to give me a flashback. What do think will happen the next time we're attacked? I'll freeze up, and suddenly she's lost her best defender." She paused, taking a deep breath. "This could end badly for me. But if I don't fix this, Elsa could die. Even if she won't admit it, we both know that Elsa's what's important. Not me."

\

Anna clenched her fists as she walked down the line of cells, her blood racing faster than it had in weeks. Her eyes scanned each compartment quickly, but the vast majority were empty. In previous centuries, Arendelle's Castle had been the host of dozens of prisoners at a time. Now, with true prisons having been built throughout the country as the kingdom modernized, the Palace Cells were only used in special circumstances.

"Back in your place as Elsa's pet, I see."

The Knight turned around so quickly that one of her pigtails fell behind her soldier. There, shackled to the back of a cell...so far back that Anna's vision had initially missed her, was Jocasta. The interrogator's bright blond hair was disheveled and her clothes could barely be described as rags, but her eyes still blazed with the same confident cruelty that Anna had come to recognize.

She was screaming as the brand applied to her face. Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks. Jocasta leaned forward, a smirk plain on her lips. 'Don't think I'm disappointed that you aren't talking,' she whispered, her voice soothing. 'I'm enjoying this interrogation almost as much as you're despising it. Scream all you like, dear Anna. It's music to my ears.'

"You must be so pleased with yourself. Rescued by your beloved Queen...taken back to her beautiful Palace as a hero. But one day soon, dearest Anna, you're going to find out that you're nothing more than a plaything. She saved you because you're useful, and once she thinks she's safe and the threat has passed, you'll wish that you remained in my cell. It would have been less painful."

Anna stared at her. The words themselves didn't have any effect; she knew they were just out of spite. But the Knight had expected to see her foe broken and afraid. Yet here she was, displaying just as much bravado as she had possessed when Anna was on the other side of the bars.

The Knight's mouth moved of its own accord. "You're not surprised to see me?" she blurted out.

Jocasta smirked. "Hardly. I knew you'd show up, sooner or later. Let me guess? You're still experiencing trauma due to the time we spent together. And you think you can make it all go away by seeing me chained up. Don't look so surprised," she chastised as Anna's eyes widened in shock. "You were hardly the first person I interrogated. I know how the human mind works."

Anna breathed deeply, allowing her face to set into an expression of calm. "That doesn't change the fact that I'm the one standing outside the cell this time. And now that I see you in there, as helpless as I ever was, I know that you have no power over me. I don't have to be afraid of you any longer." It was over. No more nightmares, no more flashbacks. She had confronted her fears and now could walk away satisfied.

"You're lying."

The Knight stared at her, blinking her eyes in confusion. "What?" she demanded.

Jocasta grinned. "Have you forgotten my magic? I know when someone isn't telling the truth, Anna. That was a lie, both to me and to yourself. You still fear me. You will always fear me. And deep down, you know it."

"No, I-" Anna hesitated for the briefest moment, clenching her fists in frustration. "Why would I fear you? You're never going to leave that cell for as long as you live. You can never hurt me again."

The laughter that now escaped from Jocasta's lips was like nothing the Knight had ever heard before. It was at once both completely genuine and utterly mocking. Mirth and cruelty were mixed in equal measure. Despite herself, Anna couldn't help but flinch back slightly.

"You really are a fool," the interrogator remarked, her voice still light with amusement. "Do you think that's how it works? Did you think that by coming down here and looking me in the eye you would suddenly be 'fixed'? It doesn't quite work that way. Yes, physically I may never leave this cell alive, but I will always be with you. Nothing you can do to me now can erase the time we spent together. I'll haunt your dreams, lurk at the edges of your vision; for the rest of your life you'll live in fear of when I'll strike next."

Anna stepped backwards now, struggling to maintain her composure. "No. You're here...you can't hurt me..."

"Yes I can. True, I might never get the chance to strike you directly again. But I don't need to; the damage has been done. I did far more than put you through a rough couple of days and scar your cheek. You've known hunger and hardship during your life, yes, but I introduced you to real suffering. I showed you what the world is capable of doing to naive young girl who thinks being the Queen's pet is going to solve all her problems," she continued, her voice as vicious as any Anna had ever heard.

"No...you're beaten...I..." the Knight didn't realize she had backpedaled all the way into the other side of the hall until her back pressed into the bars of the cell behind her. Jocasta's grin widened as she observed the pain in her eyes.

She stood over Anna, smoke still trailing off of the red hot brand. Darkness was closing in...No! Anna shut her eyes, trying to block out the vision, but Jocasta's words continued to pound into her skull.

"Jocasta will remain in this cell. But I'm more than just 'Jocasta' to you, now aren't I? I am a symbol of the savagery that this world is capable of…the brutality that you know you may very well face again. I shattered your delusions, and they're never being repaired. My memory will torment you for the rest of your days. And that, dear Anna, gives me more satisfaction than you will ever..."

That was the last the Knight heard before she took off running down the cellblock. She tore down the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her, completely ignoring the stunned guards at the entrance.

She didn't stop until she was halfway across the Palace.

\

Elsa had been looking for hours. After Kai had spoken to her, the Queen had briefly waited in their room, hoping Anna would soon decide to return there, but the Knight had remained unaccounted for. Unable to order the Castle's servants to find her and unwilling to leave Anna suffering on her own, Elsa had set out after her.

But where to look? Anna would remain in the Castle, even she wouldn't risk going out into the world in such a distressed state. At least, that's what the Queen hoped. She visited several of the redhead's known haunts: her old room, the courtyard where she trained, and the art gallery. There was no sign of her. Where else would Anna go if she wanted to be alone in the middle of the night?

Perhaps she had chosen a place of no true significance; the Palace had many rooms that would be completely empty throughout the night. Elsa would have to search the entire building, and it was almost certain that dawn would be upon them before she finished.

Wait...

There was one more place to look. If Anna was still in the Castle, her mind would have directed her somewhere that was both secluded and comforting. That's why she hadn't been in the gallery or in the courtyard; she had her share of bad memories there. But there was a room in the Castle that had not yet been tainted in Anna's mind by a harrowing experience.

Elsa walked into the library, her mind almost automatically telling her where to go. She made her way into the darkened room and carefully navigated the maze of bookshelves and tables. Unsurprisingly, the room was empty of servants at the moment.

She heard the Knight before she saw her. It was a quiet sniffle, given off not by someone who was crying but had recently been doing so. Both relieved and saddened by the noise, the Queen walked down the aisle and rounded the corner.

Anna was sitting in a red leather chair, eyes cast downward and feet resting on the mahogany table in front of her. Seeing where she sat, Elsa berated herself for not thinking of this place sooner. This was where...it seemed like a lifetime ago...they had played their first games of checkers and chess. It was the first place where they had truly interacted, meeting not as a thief and a Queen, but as friends.

"Anna," she prompted softly.

The Knight flinched back in her chair, somehow startled by a voice she had heard thousands of times. Her face glistened with drying tears. She looked at her Queen uncertainly, as if expecting a rebuke.

Elsa had already had her night's fill of yelling at subordinates, as Kai would attest. Right now, her consort needing comforting. Reprimanding her would come later. She walked forward, moving the table out of the way and taking Anna's hands into her own. "Come here..."

The Knight offered no resistance as Elsa tugged her forward. The Queen sat down in the other chair before gently lowering Anna onto her lap. Without a word, the younger woman wrapped her arms around Elsa's slim frame and buried her face into her shoulder.

"It didn't work," Anna finally whispered. "I thought I was in control...but I wasn't strong enough. I'm the mightiest warrior in Arendelle and I get sent off running by a few threatening words. Some Knight I am."

With a sigh, the Queen pulled back and looked her consort in the eyes. "You're the best Knight I could ever ask for, Anna. Of course you're still frightened of her, it's amazing you're still in one piece. I just wish..." she paused, allowing some disappointment to leak into her voice, "I just wish you would trust me. Time and again you go against my wishes and it always ends poorly. I'm not questioning your loyalty or your love for me, but you have to be more careful. Sooner or later you're going to get yourself killed."

Anna's glance fell to the floor. "It wouldn't matter," she mumbled.

Elsa shifted in her chair, preparing to give her Knight the talking to of a lifetime before Anna raised her hands defensively and hastily amended her statement. "I am not suicidal. I promise. I kept going even when I owned nothing but the rags on my back and ate one meal a day if I was lucky; you think I'm going to give up when I have all this? But I know what's more important: you."

"And how was confronting Jocasta for my benefit?" the Queen asked irritably.

"Because I need to protect you," Anna shot back immediately. "I'm sure Kai told you that I've been hiding how badly I was...affected. If you're attacked again, I don't know if I'll be able to go into combat without freezing up. I took the chance to see Jocasta because, while I knew I might get hurt, it might also make me more capable of protecting you."

Elsa scowled. She did not want to have this argument now, but if Anna was insistent, then the Queen would oblige her. It would have happened eventually regardless. Why not get it over with now?

"I am the Queen, Anna. I know you mean well, but I am the one who makes the decisions. How many times do I have to make this clear? I'll listen to your input, but the choice is ultimately mine...especially when it comes to keeping us both alive."

"Exactly!" the Knight said triumphantly. "You're trying to keep us both alive. I'm trying to protect you. Whether you accept it or not, you are what's important. This kingdom needs you! Its people need you! I want to live, and I plan to, but when it comes down to the two of us, I know who matters more. Unlike you."

"Anna, I-"

The Knight's hand darted forward, forcefully covering the Queen's lips. "You can deny it all you want, but it's true. And I went down to see Jocasta because your sense of priorities is clouded and mine isn't. Think I'm wrong? Well, here's a question for you. Imagine this scenario: you're chained in place, your powers are gone, and there's an arrow speeding toward you. Suddenly I'm on the scene. I don't have any weapons, but I'm running as fast as I can to place myself between you and the arrow. You see this happening in slow motion. Now, are you hoping I make it in time to take the arrow for you? Or are you hoping that I don't?" She pulled back her hand.

Elsa's mind spun. She knew what her answer should be. The kingdom always came first. But no matter how hard she tried, the Queen's mouth couldn't form the words Anna was looking for. She sat in continued silence.

"You're guilty of the same thing," the Queen finally said. "You lied to me about your recovery because you couldn't bring yourself to admit the truth. Don't you think that's something that concerned my safety? What would have happened if I was counting on you during an attack and you suddenly froze?"

The Knight's gaze hardened. "I didn't lie because I was afraid," she nearly hissed. "I lied because I didn't want you to feel guilty. Even after all you've done for me, you still feel responsible for the past I had to go through. Every time something happens to me, you blame yourself. How was I supposed to think you'd react when I was traumatized due to protecting you?"

That was fair enough. Elsa did feel guilty. It was her natural reaction to blame herself for things. Whenever her mind tried to reason that she hadn't truly been at fault for something, a larger part of her brain derided such thinking as selfish rationalization.

But maybe that wasn't always true. Perhaps, in some cases, the better thing to do was to let go and focus on how to correct what went wrong rather than dwelling on it. Besides, Anna was the one who had been hurt, and Elsa figured that that gave her the right to assign blame. If she thought that the Queen shouldn't feel guilty about it, then maybe Elsa could refrain from blaming herself.

Mostly.

"I'll try not to. I know you need me, and that means I can't be focused on beating myself up. But this works both ways. I need you, Anna. More than you know. There's no reason why we can't both live through this conspiracy, if we don't make foolish mistakes. You always think that what you're doing is in my best interests, but that doesn't mean you're right. I nearly lost my most valuable protector when you ran off to see the trolls. And going to see Jocasta tonight only made it less likely that I can depend on you in battle."

Anna winced. "...Fine," she agreed. "As long as you keep what I said in mind and remember which of us is more important, I'll try harder to listen to you. If it's not already too late at his point."

"You're going to get through this, Anna," the Queen said firmly. "Time heals all wounds, and no matter what Jocasta said to you, even mental scars fade eventually. No matter what you need, I'm here for you. I know you won't agree to step down from your role as my attendant, but if you ever need a break, I'll make sure you get it. I promise you, we will fix this."

From the look in her eyes, Elsa could tell that Anna was struggling to believe her. For now, through an unspoken agreement, both physically and mentally exhausted women allowed silence to take over. Wordlessly, the Queen rose from her chair and guided Anna back to their chambers.

\

Elsa sat in her study the next afternoon, going over the day's requisite paperwork. Anna stood at her side, yawning despite the late sleep that the two of them had shared. In a few minutes, the Queen would be joining Evangeline and her best agents as they interrogated Jocasta, while Anna would be joining Kai for another of her etiquette lessons.

A loud, urgent knock on the door shook her out of her thoughts. Kai was almost never so bold. Regardless, the Queen rose from her chair. "Enter!" she called.

The head servant walked in. His eyes were wide with shock; Elsa had almost never seen him appear so disturbed. With a faint incline of her head, she motioned for him to speak, but he failed to recognize the gesture. Frowning, Elsa questioned him. "What is it Kai?"

"Jocasta, Your Majesty. There's been...something has happened."

The Queen's heart dropped. Judging by the horrified gasp behind her, Anna was having a similar reaction. "What do you mean?" Elsa demanded. "Do not tell me she has escaped; it's not possible."

Kai shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. She is still in the dungeons. But the water that was brought to her...it appears as though it was…contaminated."

No...

"Your Majesty...she is dead."


	49. Chapter 49

Elsa surveyed the scene in front of her with a revolting combination of rage and disgust.

Jocasta's body was still chained to the back of the cell wall, but the shackles had clearly lost their relevance. The Queen had suspected a trick, but there could be no mistake. Arendelle's most valuable prisoner had been fatally poisoned.

The woman's skin was nearly as cold as Elsa's ice. Her eyes, once filled with refined malice, were now blank. The Castle's physicians had identified the responsible toxin almost immediately. It was a rare substance known as aracoina, a poison powerful enough to kill its victims within thirty seconds of intake. Unfortunately, they had no idea who might have been responsible for adding it to the water.

Jocasta had been given a cup of water from the kitchens, which had been handed off to one of the guards before being given to the prisoner. There had been no excess caution in preparing it. Elsa had always had her meals tested before she ate. After the attempts on Anna's life, the same security had been provided to her attendant. But there was no such protocol in place for prisoners.

Per the Queen's instructions, the cup of water had been siting on a table in the kitchens for several minutes in order to make sure it was warm. It had been meant to keep Jocasta alive without comforting her in any way. Cool water could have a refreshing impact, and Elsa wanted her as weary as possible before they began her interrogation.

How could she have been so foolish? They'd taken extraordinary measures to make sure Jocasta couldn't walk out her cell door, but Elsa and her agents had forgotten about a far more potent means of escape.

Worse, they now had definitive proof that at least one person in the Castle was working for the conspirators. But the list of suspects was long. Anyone working in the dungeons or the kitchens could have been responsible, and so far the investigations had proved fruitless.

"Back to square one," she muttered.

A gentle pressure on her fingers made Elsa turn her head to the right. Anna, standing beside her, had just grasped her hand. Wordlessly, the two of them laced their fingers together. Now that the Knight had already seen Jocasta, Elsa had reasoned that seeing her voiceless body could do no further harm. Even the greatest of manipulators could not speak from beyond the grave, and maybe seeing the interrogator dead would help give Anna some closure.

/

In the end, finding the culprit took several hours too long. Analyzing the schedules of the kitchen and dungeon staff as well as interviewing witness had allowed Evangeline, her agents, and the heads of the Castle's staff to pinpoint the most likely suspect.

It was one of the cooks in the kitchen. Roughly thirty-five years of age, Asger Stanley had helped to prepare food in the Castle for over five years. His career had been utterly unremarkable, but not once had he shown any sign of disloyalty.

By the time his guilt had been raised as a possibility, there had been no sign of him. The guards on the outer walls reported that they had let a man of his description through in the early hours of the morning, shortly before the Palace had been put on lockdown. He never returned.

For the next three weeks, the search was fruitless. Elsa's men searched the country, but no sign of Asger was ever reported. Either he was extremely well hidden within Arendelle's borders or (more likely) he had fled on a ship to the Southern continent. Investigating his few living family members had turned out to be nothing but empty leads. Apparently, he had been out of contact with them for some time.

The revelation that her meals had been prepared for several years by a probable enemy of the kingdom made Elsa much more uncomfortable at the dinner table. Even though her food was always tasted by two (now three) testers several minutes before it reached the dining room table, her hands were noticeably more hesitant than before when it came to adding food to her plate.

Her one comfort was that Asger, wherever he had run to, was no longer in a position to harm her. But if one enemy had worked in her Castle, biding his time, that meant that there could well be more.

She found herself analyzing her trust of everyone. The maids. The guards. Even her Council. Arald, Evangeline, Catherine, Vance, Kale, and the others had (whatever their faults) composed themselves as loyal servants of Arendelle for decades. But Elsa's paranoia wouldn't allow her to trust them unconditionally. She wasn't naive enough to assume that Asger had been acting independently. His superior could well be hidden among her servants, biding their time.

At this point, there were only three people in Arendelle that Elsa had complete faith in.

/

"Here's another one," Anna noted as she stared down at the contents of the letter. "Ambrose Durron has confirmed that he'll be attending the Solstice celebrations."

Elsa's eyes narrowed in mild surprise. "Strange," she replied. "He's one of the most conservative aristocrats in the country. I felt for sure he'd boycott the Solstice."

The Knight shrugged. "Maybe he realized there's no point," she offered. "Or maybe he and his friends are planning on making a scene at the party." The two women were sitting in Elsa's study, Anna going through the Queen's mail while Elsa worked on some paperwork. Most of the letters consisted of confirmations for attending the Solstice celebrations, and so far the number of conservative nobles who had declared that they would not attend as long as Anna lived in the Castle was well below expectations.

"I doubt it. Even he wouldn't be so bold," Elsa replied, circling his name on the list of invited nobles.

The Knight frowned as she picked up the next letter. This one seemed…crude…compared to the usual mail that was addressed to the Queen. Squinting her eyes in curiosity, she ripped the letter open and stared down at the blocky writing.

She was smiling even before she finished. "This one's from Kristoff, Elsa! I don't know how he got this into the royal post, but who cares? He said he's using the money you gave him to open up his first ice-shipping business.

"Really?" Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He already has an office in the Royal City. He used to work on his own, but now that he has all that knowledge and experience about ice, and that money, he's going to hire some harvesters and open a larger operation. He thinks that he can do it more efficiently than Arendelle's current ice industries. Then he's going to pay you back."

"Good for him," the Queen said approvingly. "But please, tell him to keep his profits. As long as the crown gets its fair share in taxes, I don't want an extra coin from him."

The Knight nodded. "I'll write a reply back on behalf of both of us," she agreed. "After the Solstice is over, I'll go pay him a visit. He says that's he's going to be setting up things in the capital for some time."

"After the Solstice," Elsa agreed.

Anna hummed quietly in response as she opened the next letter. "This one's a marriage proposal," she remarked. "Prince Leonard of Bellona is asking for your hand. His dowry includes...and I quote, 'Fifteen chests of gold, a handsome stake in the mines of his desert kingdom, and a herd of one hundred prized camels.'"

The Queen grimaced. "Put it with the others," she ordered. Nodding, Anna opened the drawer and deposited the letter atop the growing stack of marriage proposals, religious objections to Elsa's magic/sexual preferences, and requests to revoke Anna's Knighthood. In the winter, it would be used for kindling.

"He calls that a dowry?" Anna scoffed. "That's nothing compared to what I offer. The Anna-package comes complete with angry letters from aristocrats, unwelcome visits from fundamentalist religious organizations, and world class neck massages."

Despite the grim subject matter, Elsa couldn't help but smile slightly. "You're worth it, darling. Out of all my admirers, you're the only one not attracted to me just because I'm a Queen."

"No," Anna agreed. "For me, it's your magic that I find attractive. As long as you still have that, I'll stick around."

With a flick of her wrist, Elsa sent a snowball flying at her head. Anna reacted just in time; she snatched the projectile out of the air and threw it back at the Queen. Too surprised to duck, Elsa was struck in the cheek by the mostly intact snowball.

"You're getting faster," Elsa moved as she dispelled the moisture. "But it's still not in your best interest to challenge me to a snowball fight."

Anna shrugged. "Maybe," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean I won't try. Anyway, can we take a break now?" Can we kiss? I really want to kiss.

"Sure, let's go to lunch," the Queen replied. She rose from her desk, stuffing the papers she was writing on into her bottom drawer before backing away. Anna's eyes widened in curiosity.

"What was that you're working on?" she question.

Elsa shook her head. "Nothing important," she answered, walking towards the door as she spoke. "If you want to have time to cuddle with me after lunch, we'd best get a move on."

Quicker than the Queen could react, Anna darted around her and went for the drawer where Elsa had deposited the papers. "Stop!" the monarch began, but Anna was already pulling them free and starting to read them over.

Helpless to stop her, Elsa could do nothing but look on in concern as Anna read through the papers. Her reading speed had improved over the last month, but it still took the Knight several minutes to read the entire thing.

"Elsa...are you sure this is a good idea? We can't afford any more mishaps where the nobility is concerned."

The monarch nodded. "Yes. It can't make things much worse, and it just might begin to fix our problems. End of discussion," she said firmly. "Now let's go to the dining room. Or do you not want to have time to kiss me senseless before we get back to work?" Elsa's cheeks were burning red, but her words were filled with a surprising amount of confidence.

\

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Walking through the courtyard towards Kai's office, Anna couldn't help but turn her head towards the archery range upon the sound that split through the air. Three arrows, each launched by a different shooter, had all hit the center of their chosen target with ludicrous precision.

Each of the three archers, one woman and two men, wore the uniform of Arendelle's intelligence agents. Anna recognized the two men vaguely, but the woman was the only one she was truly familiar with.

As Anna watched, the three shooters reloaded within seconds before firing a second volley. And again, three out of three shots were bullseyes. Despite knowing that it would make her late, the Knight couldn't resist the urge to walk over. By the time she arrived, a third volley had already struck.

"Lady Evangeline," Anna greeted the lead shooter. "I didn't know you and your men were such skilled archers," she said honestly. The bow was a weapon that Anna respected, but her brief attempt to learn how to use the weapon had ended in failure. There was more to archery then simple speed and strength.

"Thank you, Lady Anna," the spymaster greeted politely as she lowered her bow. "The primary skills of our agents are stealth and infiltration. But there's always going to be a time when combat is unavoidable, and it's best to be prepared."

Anna nodded. "It looks like you're more than prepared," she complimented. "That's better shooting than I've seen from any of the Castle's archers."

The spymaster shrugged. "Decades of practice. And at times like this, it's a satisfying way to let out some frustration," Evangeline commented as she fired another bullseye.

"Let out some frustration? ...oh." After so long with no progress, the kingdom's lead spymaster was probably not happy that their most valuable prisoner had, in a way, escaped. Or that her killer had successfully eluded their grasp.

Evangeline continued firing. Much like the spymaster herself, the shooting was composed, focused, and deadly. Anna couldn't help but think that while Evangeline was someone she would be glad to have on her side during a fight, she would probably not enjoy sharing a dinner table with her.

I'll never forget the first time she talked to me. She wanted to hear about the initial attack on Elsa and see if I knew anything useful. Even though the Queen had ordered Evangeline to go easy on her, the memory still made Anna shudder slightly.

They didn't know if Jocasta had been aware that she was ingesting poison or not. Given the previous fanaticism displayed by the conspiracy's members, it was entirely possible that she had agreed to silence herself. When considering the interrogation she would have received at Evangeline's hands, Anna could understand Jocasta's decision to accept a quick death- if that was indeed the case. In the spymaster, Anna saw a woman almost as determined to protect the Queen as herself, but none of the mercy of compassion that would make her hesitate.

Nodding in farewell, Anna made her way through the courtyard. Within minutes, she found herself at the door to the butler's office.

"You seem to be running a bit late, Lady Anna," he noted as she opened the door. The Knight offered him an apologetic smile in response. "We'll have to go a few minutes later than usual," he said kindly but firmly.

Anna resisted the urge to groan. Even though he still felt guilty about allowing her to see Jocasta, the Knight knew that Kai wasn't going to allow her to miss a lesson that could tangibly, albeit indirectly, affect the well-being of his Queen.

"Fine," she agreed. "Can't have the nobles criticize my table manners during the Solstice celebrations."

True to his word, their session went a half hour over time. It only ended when Gerda finally sought out her husband's company for dinner. Even then, he was somewhat reluctant to let her go, but there were only two people in the world who could overcome Kai's stubbornness on a regular basis: his Queen and his wife.

/

As the days ticked down to the beginning of the festivities, Anna's stress level steadily increased. This would be the first time she had to face lords and ladies in large numbers since the...debacle…that was known as her Knighting ceremony. Elsa's plan might help improve matters, but it was going to be a difficult trial all the way.

The Queen was feeling the pressure herself. Anna had had a lot of time to become familiar with Elsa's moods, and although the monarch did her best to hide it, Anna could see the rising pressure take its toll. A giant celebration in the Castle was never an easy thing to plan for, and this year's gathering would be more difficult to manage than any before it.

With this in mind, Anna suggested that the two of them should take a few hours off the day before the guests were slated to arrive. To the Knight's pleasant surprise, Elsa had not only agreed but also decided that they would free up the entire afternoon.

Sure enough, the Queen completed the majority of the remaking preparations that morning. The two of them proceeded to slip out of the Castle together; Elsa created five snow golems to serve as guards.

They made their way to the lake in the forest behind the Castle. Upon arrival, Elsa promptly froze the water solid. And when the Knight requested a more appropriate atmosphere, the monarch complied by creating a light snowfall in the vicinity.

"I think I'm getting better at this," Anna declared as she skated across the ice. Her balance still wasn't perfect, but she no longer relied upon Elsa's support while moving across the smooth surface.

The Queen raised a sardonic eyebrow. "I can see that, dear. In a few years, you might be half as good as I was when I was five years old."

Anna smirked. "I think being a virtual Ice Goddess gives you an unfair advantage."

Elsa smiled, twirling through the air effortlessly before sliding up next to Anna. "Perhaps," she agreed, reaching forward and taking the Knight's hands into her own.

Thrown off by the welcome but unexpected gesture, Anna wobbled slightly until Elsa managed to steady her. Suddenly, a distant look appeared in the Queen's eyes.

"What is it?" Anna asked curiously.

"It's just..." Elsa smiled warmly. "This is where I first realized I had feelings for you. You fell, and I caught you with a blast of snow, remember? Then we started skating together and my mind compared it to a romantic dance."

The Knight's burrow furrowed in mock indignation. "Humph. It took you that long to develop feelings for me? I don't know whether to be relieved or insulted."

"It took me that long to realize I was attracted to you," Elsa clarified. "It started way before that. Maybe even during the first time we met. After I was sure that you didn't intend to slit my throat of course."

Anna nodded. "It feels like a lifetime ago," she commented as they began to move across the ice as one. "I can't believe it's been seven months already...oh my gods it's been seven months!" Seven months she'd moved into the Castle. Living in the Palace, while still not easy sometimes, no longer felt strange to her. Sometimes, being cold and hungry felt like a distant memory. She still appreciated having a home, of course, but it no longer seemed like a new concept.

She'd never forget living on the street, of course. For better or worse, that experience had helped shape her into the woman she was today. But begging, starving, and sleeping in alleyways no longer defined her.

"Are you sure about tomorrow?" Anna questioned. "Doing such a grand gesture on the first night...it's risky. Wouldn't it be better to wait until the last night of the celebrations?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. I need to make it clear, and doing it immediately will make a bold statement. I can't afford to show any signs of weakness. And besides, doing it on the first night will give them plenty of time to talk amongst themselves. The smarter ones will convince the others to back down." She paused, stroking Anna's cheek with an ungloved hand. "We'll be fine. No matter how much they hate you, none of them are foolish enough to directly oppose my will...especially not in my own Palace. They can't hurt you."

\

"It's a fine strategy," his host complimented. "We'll take them both out at the same time. As long as everyone is in place, Elsa will fall. And if everything goes to plan, her most prominent supporters will die with her."

He nodded. In truth, he didn't care about the others. The only one who needed to die was the Queen. But his pawns would not strike unless they believed that extinguishing Elsa's life would also bring her reign to an end...and allow one of them to rule in her place. To do so would require Elsa's allies to be removed from the equation.

"Then we're agreed." He leaned down, briefly filling his wineglass with alcohol delivered by his host's butler. The blood red liquid sloshed noticeably as he raised his glass high; some spilt to the floor.

"To Arendelle!"

"To Arendelle!" his ally echoed. Their glasses met with a smooth chink.


	50. Chapter 50

Anna was standing in a large living room, but something was...wrong. It was as if only half of her consciousness was present. Her awareness of the room around her flickered constantly. One second, everything was perfectly coherent. The next, it was all a blur.

Still, she was able to perceive her surroundings with relative clarity. The room was brightly lit thanks to the sunlight shining in from the wide glass windows. All of the furniture looked antique; it was a style she had never seen before. A dozen or so men and women were sitting in various couches or chairs that were scattered around the room. Some were deep in discussion, while others were relaxing calmly. None of them seemed to notice her.

"Ahh-" a deep groan on the far side of the room attracted her attention. To her surprise, the speaker was a young girl no older than thirteen. And yet the entire room fixated upon the sound as if their lives depended on it.

An older man hurried to the girl. Anna's grasp on reality grew more and more tenuous as the scene played out. In the back of her mind, she could hear a soft yet commanding voice calling to her. For the moment, she resisted the sensation.

"Quiet, everyone!" The man ordered. "Annette, are you...?" The world blurred out, and by the time Anna returned, his sentence had been finished. Everyone in the room was staring at the young girl intently, but Annette was hardly taking notice. She was staring at the floor, her eyes completely blank.

Then she began to speak. Her words were so quiet that they were almost inaudible; they were spoken in a dry, dull tone. Anna tried to get closer, instinctively knowing that this was a speech she would want to hear, but her legs had turned to jelly.

The Knight did her best to listen, but she could only make out a handful of words from the girl's speech. Her awareness of reality was flickering faster now, and the voice in the back of her head continued to intercut her thoughts. "Two...pass...land...flower...Anna!...reborn...flesh...first...name...We have to get ready!...crown...weakened...wiped...returned...betrayal...domain...shall know-"

"Wake up!"

\

The Knight bolted upright in her bed. Sitting beside her was Elsa, a look of exasperated disapproval resting on her face. "Anna, I know you enjoy your sleep, but the first guests have already arrived. And the ball starts in less than a few hours."

Anna nodded, still in a daze from her dream. Elsa's gaze softened, as she perceived the disturbed look in the Knight's eyes. "Bad dream?" she questioned. "Usually you're a light sleeper; it took me forever to wake you up. I hope it wasn't too..."

"I'm fine," Anna affirmed. Still, Elsa's words had her thinking. She was a light sleeper; it was probably a product of many nights spent out on the streets, where even the slightest noise could indicate an approaching threat. More than once, Anna had awoken just in time to fend off a would-be thief. As much as she had despised herself for robbing nobles of their coins, at least she hadn't been as bad as those who preyed upon the homeless.

So why had this morning been different? It had just been a dream...right? Anna had had her fair share of dreams since coming to stay at the Palace. Some of them she could barely remember.

But a handful had been different. They seemed more real than any nighttime vision had a right to be. Anna had usually written off these decidedly more lucid dreams as a product of having a more comfortable bed to sleep on, but part of her couldn't help but suspect that there was more to the story.

Pssh. I'm just being paranoid. Not everything strange has something to do with magic or this conspiracy. Weird dreams are just that: weird dreams. It's not like someone's imprinting them on me. Even if such a power existed, that's not something an enemy would do. They'd give me haunting nightmares that would keep me awake for hours, not strange scenes that just make me curious for a few minutes.

"Okay," Elsa replied, "Let's get ready."

\

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle, accompanied by her consort...Lady Anna of Arendelle!" the herald cried as the couple walked into the ballroom. Immediately, the hundreds of assembled guests curtsied to the monarch as she strode onto a raised platform. Anna was at her side; their arms were linked together. Already, the redhead was receiving dirty looks.

Beside her, she felt Anna stiffen. This was the first time that the Knight had officially been announced as her consort. Even if their relationship had been public knowledge for months now, having a herald declare it to the country's assembled nobility made it seem far more official. As Elsa had intended, of course.

The room was filled by several massive long tables. Each seat was occupied by an aristocrat, but the tables themselves were empty for the moment. Tomorrow would be the first dance, but the initial night of the Solstice was traditionally a welcome feast. The ballroom, being the only room big enough to host so many people, had been chosen as the venue by virtue of necessity.

"Lords and Ladies of Arendelle!" she greeted warmly. "Welcome to the Solstice celebrations. I am honored to be your host for the next three days." At this, the aristocrats nodded at the typical opening address. They were all waiting for her to officially christen the party, upon which they knew her servants would flood into the ballroom carrying a massive array of food and drinks.

"Now, before we begin, there is a matter I would like to address." Immediately, several of the assembled noblemen shifted uneasily.

"I am well aware that many of you disapprove of Lady Anna's Knighthood, as well as her position as my consort," she intoned. "Her past makes you suspicious, if not outright furious, and many of you believe that a woman with such a background has no place standing beside Royalty." Her tone was as hard as steel now; all pretenses of this being a casual address were long gone.

Elsa's gaze swept around the room. "To an extent, I understand your concerns. Lady Anna is highly irregular, and I am well aware of that. Although her thievery was driven out of necessity and done with care to cause the least harm possible, her actions still were to the detriment of many of you. In recognition of this, the crown has granted generous reparations to everyone she has stolen from- ten times the three coins she would typically take- directly from my personal vault."

The assembled nobility stared at her. Some of their gazes were stubbornly fixed, but a few were glancing around the room nervously.

"But to disrespect her is to forget one thing. Without her heroics, I would be dead. Three times, she risked her life to save mine- the first even before we had met. To demean her value is to imply that my life, the life of your monarch, is worth less than a stolen handful of coins."

The room was deathly silent. Seizing on their hesitation, Elsa continued. "I believe in redemption. Arendelle believes in redemption. Lady Anna's actions have made up for her past one-hundredfold, and in my opinion there is no one more worthy to be my consort. If you do not wholeheartedly approve of my relationship with Lady Anna, either because you wish that I married a King or one of our kingdom's own nobility, I can tolerate that opinion as long as you remain respectful to both of us. But to disrespect her is to disrespect me. I ask you to keep that all in mind. Now...let the feast begin!"

Elsa couldn't resist a sly smirk as the dumbfounded nobility was suddenly set upon by dozens of dutiful servants.

\

Anna was sitting at the Queen's right hand, putting her etiquette lessons to good use. Some of the guests at the central table seemed too nervous to speak to her in the monarch's presence. A few, probably the most liberal of the bunch- who had always at the very least tolerated her- were being friendly. They asked her about her deeds on Elsa's behalf, and Anna was happy to answer them. Elsa, of course the subject of much conversation herself, was always sure to discreetly intervene whenever the subject drifted too close to her imprisonment in Lucrania.

She made it through the entire meal without incident, a fact that filled her with pride. Many of the aristocrats were rising from their seats now. Some were going to their rooms to retire, but many others remained in the room to socialize. For some of them, this was the first time they had seen their friends in months.

The result's of Elsa's gambit would not become clear for a significant amount of time, but the early signs were promising. It had not been intended to win over the hearts and minds of the conservative nobility; even Anna wasn't naive enough to believe such a thing could occur. But by equating disliking Anna with disloyalty for the Queen herself, it was possible that the voices of opposition might quiet down for the time being.

And if they were lucky, perhaps one or two aristocrats who were on the fence about Anna might become willing to tolerate her status once reminded that their monarch would be dead if it wasn't for her actions.

The Knight was eating some dessert, a large piece of chocolate cake, and resisting the urge to stuff the entire thing into her mouth at once when a young man made his way over to Elsa's side. Thanks to his relatively muscular frame, dark black hair, and glistening blue eyes, Anna had to admit that he was somewhat handsome. And, according to a quick whisper from Elsa, he was the heir to a rather large estate.

Anna couldn't help but clench her teeth as he approached. He seemed far too purposeful in his movements.

"Queen Elsa," he bowed. "I was wondering if you would do me the honor of speaking with me privately for a few moments? My father is currently ill and has remained at home, but he asked me to speak with you about a manner of some importance."

"Of course," Elsa replied without missing a beat. The Knight scowled. As the Queen rose out of her chair, Anna made to follow.

A single glance from the monarch stopped her in her tracks. The Knight was here tonight as a member of the nobility, not the Queen's protector. A group of Royal Guards would accompany Elsa at a slight distance, but Anna's presence would be considered a violation of his request to meet alone. Reluctantly, she remained in her seat.

\

Per the suggestion of the man accompanying her, James Landon was his name, Elsa led the two of them to a secluded hallway a few minute's walk from the ballroom. Her paranoia was kicking in, but the Queen forced herself to analyze the situation rationally. He'd have been searched for weapons before entering the party, her guards were standing on alert several meters away, and her own abilities could end his life in an instant. As long as she was careful, he could pose no threat to her.

They walked through the halls, passing several servants. The aristocrats were forbidden to bring armed guards into the Castle, but each was allowed a small retinue of servants to attend to their needs. Elsa's staff was large, but even they would have trouble catering to the entirety of the country's nobility at once.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the visiting servants visibly struggling to carry his lord's laundry down to the washing rooms. Does the nobility even have their staff trained? Elsa couldn't help but wonder.

It was times like these that made the Queen appreciate the abilities of the Palace's ever-reliable employ of servants.

"This should be fine, Your Majesty," he recommended once they were in the middle of a hallway. This corridor was lined not with doors that led to rooms where eavesdroppers could lurk, but large portraits that covered much of the walls. Elsa nodded approvingly.

"First, let me say that you have my condolences for your father's illness," she began. "I hope it is nothing too serious." Her words, while mostly intended as a political courtesy, were not false. The Landons possessed plenty of influence and an even larger amount of wealth, but so far they'd been relatively quiet during her reign. She'd never had an issue with them and, as far as she could remember, neither had her parents.

The nobleman nodded. "The physicians are confident that he will recover within the month. His fever was breaking even as he ordered me to attend the Solstice as his representative. He asked me to speak to you about a matter that both he and I find of grave importance."

Her eyes narrowing slightly, Elsa nodded. "Very well."

"I will be blunt, Your Majesty. Given my family's financial and political capital, as well as your current lack of a husband, I humbly request that you would allow me the honor of courting you." His words were spoken confidently, but Elsa could hear the slight tremor of anticipation that lurked underneath.

She kept her regal mask fully in place. "You wish to court me?" Elsa demanded. Only the slightest amount of incredulity was allowed to seep into her voice.

James bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. I am not so arrogant to simply ask for your hand; such a request would be an insult to such an intelligent woman as yourself. I merely ask for the chance to prove my worth."

The Queen glared at him. "You flatter me. But as you are well aware, I am currently involved in a happy relationship and see no reason to change the situation. This refusal is not personal, but I'm afraid I must decline your request." So, what now? Do you simply criticize Anna as unworthy of my affection, or promise to save me from my unholy attraction to women?

Her guest simply nodded. "I do not wish to insult Lady Anna, Your Majesty. She has proven herself worthy of her station, and from what I have heard she is more than fit to be your protector and friend."

"Then why do you seek to replace her?" Elsa questioned with deceptive mildness.

James winced slightly. "I simply ask you to look to the future, Your Majesty. You are, of course, entitled to find Lady Anna attractive. I certainly do not begrudge you for such thoughts. But beauty is temporary, Your Majesty. What I could offer you, on the other hand, will last a lifetime."

In a way, she was disappointed. By pointedly not insulting Anna, he had deprived her of the chance to criticize him harshly. "I do not intend to demean your family, but I have no need of your wealth and political influence. I have more than enough of both as it stands. And I assure you, Lady Anna offers me far more than her physical attractiveness."

"Can she offer you that?" he pointed to the portrait behind her.

Elsa turned around...and immediately felt her heart drop. Focused on James, she hadn't even realized where they were standing. Adorning the wall behind them was a massive portrait that had been painted over a decade ago.

The picture depicted a scene that had taken place in one of the Castle's living rooms. Elsa, at the age of four, was sitting on the carpet holding a doll of herself. Kneeling next to her was her mother, a doll of a Knight in one hand and one of a dragon in the other. Her father was sitting in a comfortable sofa nearby, looking up from his book and beaming at them.

Her eyes began to water even as James continued to speak. "A life is not complete without family, Your Majesty. No matter how much you may fancy Lady Anna, she could never give you..."

"Leave," she hissed.

He stepped back in surprise. "Excuse me, Your Majesty?"

Elsa turned around, gesturing to her guards. "Escort him out my presence," she demanded. Nodding, two of them gently but firmly shepherded the nobleman out of the hall, ignoring his protests. Unable to resist, the Queen turned back around to stare at the portrait.

She missed them so much. Anna had helped fill the void in her life created by their deaths, but nothing could ever make her forget about two people who had raised her and loved her from birth...and had left her life without so much as a goodbye.

The Queen wanted that again. She wanted a family, a real family. Her relatives in Corona loved her, but that wasn't enough. One day, she wanted to have children. Perhaps not right now. But Elsa would never consider her life complete until she had a chance to raise a son or daughter as well as her parents had raised her.

But she wasn't going to do so without Anna by her side. Elsa couldn't imagine raising a family without her Knight standing beside her. True, that meant she could never have children of her own, but adoption was always a possibility. There were plenty of children who lived in Arendelle's orphanages. Elsa couldn't imagine anything more fulfilling than adopting a young, unfortunate child, and raising them alongside Anna.

Anna. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the young Knight would always be a part of her life. The Queen simply couldn't imagine a future without her. Elsa would do everything in her power to ensure that this relationship endured until the day one of them died. Once, the monarch had been uncomfortable with some of the aspects of romance. But now, her uncertainty was gone.

She knew what she wanted.

\

Anna was sitting in her bed, comfortably reclining atop the sheets. She was wearing her favorite red silken nightgown while reading a book she had picked out from the library. If her lessons with Gerda had accomplished anything, they had at least managed to improve Anna's reading level to that of a young teenager. Now that she could actually read some books without struggling, the Knight found that she rather enjoyed the activity. Elsa had been only too happy to recommend some tales that were kept in her library.

Still, her mind couldn't help but wander back to the Queen. Anna knew that she was being accompanied by a large group of guards, but the nobleman who had swept her away still unnerved her. It was always possible that he was part of the conspiracy...or even that he intended to seduce his host. The Knight wasn't sure which possibility frightened her more.

Creak. Anna sighed in relief as the bedroom door opened to admit Elsa, who looked none the worse for the wear. In fact, Anna could see the Queen smiling brightly as she approached the bed.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Anna remarked. "What's the occasion?"

"Nothing. It's just..." Elsa smiled slightly. "I'm glad you're here Anna," she said, her voice warm.

The Knight offered her a bemused yet welcoming grin. "Well, I'm glad you invited me," she remarked. Anna wasn't sure what was going on with Elsa, but so far it didn't seem to be something to worry about.

Her smile widening, the Queen made her way onto the bed and next to Anna; the sheets crinkled only slightly under her slim frame. The personal attendant did not resist in the slightest as Elsa gently cupped her cheeks and brought her in for a passionate kiss.

It was nearly a minute before they pulled apart. And as they stared into each other's eyes, Anna finally heard the words she had waited months to hear.

"Anna, I'm ready." Some nervousness leaked back into Elsa's voice as she spoke the words, but they were spoken with an air of finality.

Yes! As exhilaration raced through her body, Anna found herself repeating Elsa's words in her head again and agin. It took several seconds for them to fully sink in. Gods...she'd waited so long for this moment, and now that it was finally here, she could scarcely believe it.

Their lips met in a furious kiss. Anna pressed forward, attempting to drive the Queen's head onto the pillow. Elsa didn't go quietly, a fact that Anna appreciated, but the Knight's strength was far too great for her to overcome. Anna lost track of how long they continued kissing, the Knight herself remaining fully on top.

But it wasn't enough. Anna's hands were about to reach up and unclasp Elsa's dress when she felt the monarch's fingers reaching for the hem of her shirt. Equally surprised and delighted, the Knight lifted herself off the Queen and raised her arms in the air. It took Elsa less than two seconds to lift Anna's shirt into the air before tossing it onto the floor. Grinning, Anna reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, leaving the entirety of her upper body bare.

Then a familiar, uncomfortable sensation flooded through Anna. She'd grown far more secure in her status as Elsa's consort as time went on, but now the fear of being unworthy made itself known once again. Look at her! She was attractive, yes, but that was nothing compared to the gorgeous Queen sitting in front of her. Anna's shoulders and chest were coated with blemishing freckles. Her breasts were far too small; her proportions were nothing to Elsa's stunning physique.

"You're...amazing, Anna." The Knight looked up to see Elsa staring at her intently; it was if the Queen's eyes were glued to her chest. Anna's confidence rose as Elsa came forward and enveloped her.

The Queen's actions were every bit that of a virgin, but Anna wasn't complaining as Elsa's hands eagerly yet cautiously roamed over her bare skin. The Knight let out a soft moan as Elsa's fingers stroked her chest. Their lips met again in a brief, ecstatic kiss. But as much as she was enjoying the Queen's ministrations, Anna couldn't help but note the injustice of the current situation.

"Take it off," Anna managed. "With magic."

Elsa hesitated only for a split second before nodding. With a brief motion of her hands, the ice that made up her dress began to dissolve rapidly. Five seconds later, Anna found herself staring at a completely unclothed Queen.

In that moment, the Knight couldn't help but wonder how she had managed to bed a Goddess. Perfect was the only word she could use to truly describe Elsa. For her part, the Queen smiled as she beheld Anna's admiration...even as a sliver of nervousness remained. With a slight gesture of her head, she motioned to Anna's still clothed legs.

The Knight's hands furiously undid her trousers' buttons. She stretched out her legs over the bed before hurriedly removing her pants; within seconds her undergarments followed.

As Elsa's eyes surveyed the rest of Anna's naked form, the Knight couldn't help but ponder how sublime the moment was. Here she sat, a peasant from the lowest possible of all births...poised to claim the most powerful woman in the world. Making love to a Queen was one thing, but doing it in the center of Arendelle's Royal Palace...the monarch's official chambers, just made it feel so empowering.

"You're sure?" Anna felt herself asking. The Queen nodded, and with that the last of Anna's restraint disappeared completely. She came forward, embracing Elsa's mouth in yet another kiss as her finger slid into the monarch's slick opening.

Elsa's moans betrayed more than just pleasure. There was elation, of course, but there was also surprise and even a bit of pain in her voice as the Queen was introduced to the art of love for the first time.

"Yes, Anna..." the Queen gasped as the Knight continued to penetrate her. And then, with no warning but a raising of Elsa's voice so profound that Anna would have been surprised if the guards at the end of the hallway didn't hear...the monarch was pushed over the edge.

Elsa was breathing heavily, but it wasn't hard to see the indulgent smile that would soon be formed by her lips. Anna knew her face was wearing the same expression. True, the Queen hadn't lasted long. But, even though she hadn't yet peaked herself, Anna couldn't deny that this was the best sex she'd ever had. For maybe the first time, it felt real.

Her grin widening, the Knight laid back onto the bed. "Your turn," she beckoned.

\

After washing up quickly, the two women had changed into their sleeping clothes before climbing into bed. Not many words were exchanged between them, but the silence was comfortable. Elsa had a feeling that she still had a lot to learn when it came to the pleasures of the flesh, but for now she knew that both of them were satisfied.

As she closed her eyes, the Queen couldn't help but feel that everything was right with the world.

\

The clock struck midnight three hours after the two women feel into the realm of sleep. And, without so much as a command, a plan that had been developed and refined for weeks was finally put into action.


	51. Chapter 51

Anna stirred in her sleep.

She wasn't sure what caused her sudden partial return to consciousness. The Knight had been dreaming about something pleasant- she couldn't remember what- and then a distant sound had just managed to reach her ears.

Focusing on this puzzlement allowed the rest of Anna's mind to return to wakefulness. Elsa's arms were still wrapped around her, and the memories of what they had done hours ago filled the Knight with a sense of satisfaction.

But none of this answered the question of why she was awake. Anna didn't feel like she had to use the toilet, and the room was still a comfortable temperature. Her eyes fluttered open; nothing in her vision seemed amiss. Silence reigned.

Scoffing at her hyperactivity, the Knight settled back into her Queen's arms. The Castle was filled with hundreds of visitors; perhaps one of them had made a sound capable of rousing her from sleep. Usually, the Royal Wing was isolated from the noises of the rest of the Palace's occupants, but the building was currently filled to capacity, after all.

Smiling, she shifted ever so-slightly in Elsa's arms and prepared to shut her eyes.

Creak.

Anna's eyes opened with a flash. She waited a moment...nothing. Then their large bedroom door began to slowly slide inward. The Knight's heart began to race...was she still in a dream?

Then the door fully opened; the motion was completed carefully enough to not make a sound. Standing in the doorway were two unfamiliar men, their visages illuminated by the bright torches that hung in the hall outside.

In each of their hands was a loaded crossbow.

"Elsa!" she cried, but already the men had fired. One bolt was aimed for the Queen's head, the other for Anna's.

She couldn't have done it a month ago. But every day, Elsa had been filling her with magic, and Anna's strength, speed, and reflexes had continued to increase. As the two bolts shot forward, Anna was already springing into action.

The Knight moved to the left, towards the Queen's body. Her fist lashed out. Despite the adrenaline running through her, Anna's timing was perfect. Knuckles made contact with metal as her hand deflected the bolt aimed for the Queen.

Pain! The bolt's head only scored a glancing blow on her hand, but that was still enough for it to rip through the skin as it sped past.

"There's no escape, Anna. This is only a taste of what I can do," Jocasta whispered soothingly as she applied the brand to Anna's chest. The attendant screamed in- No! Not now.

Anna's momentum carried her over the Queen; she fell to the floor on the left side of the bed. A thunk sounded as the bolt that had been aimed for her face smacked into the headboard.

Anna looked up from her spot on the floor. The two men were rapidly reloading their bows, and behind them the Knight could see several accomplices standing ready. The two shooters prepared to fire again, their weapons both swinging in Anna's direction.

A wall of ice sprouted up in front the doorway, sealing them off. Anna jumped to her feet as the Queen climbed out of bed, her hands forming a more practical ice dress. Outside, the men began to pound against the barrier.

Anna darted to the other side of the room, hurriedly grabbing her sword before facing the doorway. Elsa stood ready; her palms were facing the entrance.

There was no time to figure out what was going on. All that mattered was survival. Their Castle was under attack, and it was Anna's job to defend its occupants.

She leapt into the air, splaying out her right foot and kicking the ice barrier with all the force she could muster. Elsa's ice could withstand the strength of normal men for several hours, but it certainly wasn't Anna-proof.

A loud crack echoed through the room as the ice splintered. The wall fell forward, crushing the two crossbowmen beneath an icy grave. But there were at least another dozen men in the hallway. Each was armed with a sword from the Castle's armory, but their clothes were certainly not those of the Palace Guards.

What the hell is going on?!

She charged forward. For an instant, her dislike of killing warred against her instinct to protect Elsa, but it was a brief battle. Anna's sword cut through the head of the first attacker before he could hope to react. She jumped into the air and spun to the right, avoiding another man's downward swipe and lashing out with a kick to his ribs. He went rocketing into the wall behind him, possibly dead and certainly unconscious.

"Anna, down!"

The Knight dropped to the floor. Her duty was to protect Elsa, yes, but that did not mean she would protest the Queen acting in her own defense. Elsa's magic was the most powerful protection she had, and it would be incredibly foolish to argue against utilizing it.

A torrent of icicles shot above Anna's head, impaling another four attackers. When the magic stopped, the Knight sprang to her feet and raised her sword defensively.

The closest man began to step backward warily, but he raised his sword in a ready position. Elsa now standing beside her, Anna began to step forward-

No!

/

"No, please...stop!" Anna cried desperately. Her sword hit the ground with a noisome clang. Horrified, the Queen turned to her left, thinking her lover had somehow been hit.

But the Knight was fine. Save for the small cut on her hand, she was unwounded, and her near-immunity to poison would be shielding her on the off chance the bolt had been laced with a deadly substance. Yet Anna's eyes were staring a million miles away, filled with nothing but pure terror. Her body began to shake as she automatically began to sit on the floor.

Then Elsa saw it. A bright light was shining on Anna's eyes. One of the soldiers was holding his weapon out in front of him, and the unrusted steel was more than capable of reflecting light. By pure luck, he had managed to reflect the glare of one of the bright torches into Anna's eyes.

The Queen conjured up five creations- a phalanx of tall icy warriors, and set them upon the invaders. As they charged towards the terrified men, Elsa erected another barrier of ice behind them, sealing herself and Anna from the fight.

"Anna, you're fine! She's not here! Please, I need you!" she pleaded. Elsa might as well have been speaking in another language. The Knight continued to stare aimlessly into the distance, her eyes filled with horror. The Queen had seen some of Anna's past flashbacks, but nothing that could compare with this episode.

I suppose it makes sense. She just woke up and she's filled with stress and adrenaline. Throw in combat and the light of a fire...But that didn't give Elsa any inclining on how to break her out of it. Screams continued to sound from the other side of the wall as Elsa's creations made quick work of the attackers.

She shook the Knight desperately, but Anna remained off in her own world.

Elsa's teeth clenched. Right now, there were larger problems to deal with, and unfortunately it looked like she'd be facing them without Anna by her side. Sensing that her icy soldiers had been victorious, the Queen dispelled the barrier and quickly sealed the wound on Anna's hand with her magic.

"Take her to our chambers, hide her in the back and keep her there until I return," she ordered. She watched with a heavy heart as a distraught Anna was half-carried by her soldiers back into the Royal bedroom.

In front of their door, Elsa materialized a massive barrier of ice that would take even the strongest man an hour to break through. It was reckless, she knew, to be leaving all five of her active creations to guard Anna, but the Queen didn't care. She'd rather die than come back to find Anna killed thanks to a shortage of protection.

Ice sprouting beneath her feet, Elsa took off flying down the hallway. Her control was perfect; she could maintain flight even around corners and down flights of stairs.

She could hear the screams and clash of metal even before she reached the next floor. The monarch's heart filled with dread. How? How could this be happening?

By the time Elsa reached the floor below the Royal Wing, she had already passed two checkpoints of Royal Guards. All four of the men stationed there were dead, clearly having been caught by surprise and overwhelmed by numbers before they could raise the alarm. Her anger rising to the boiling point, Elsa flew out into the Guest Wing and towards the din of battle.

Near her study, three Royal Guards were locked in combat with seven invaders. And when the Queen had another chance to look at the clothing worn by the attackers, all of the pieces finally clicked together.

She'd been betrayed. Not just by a single guard or cook, but by a large contingent of the country's nobility. The servants some had brought in weren't servants; they were trained warriors disguised to infiltrate the Castle. And somehow, they had snuck into the Palace armories and gotten their hands on weapons. Thanks to an inside man in the Castle, no doubt.

That's why I thought the visiting servants looked so inexperienced. I've been surrounded by traitors.

White-hot fury radiated through her entire being. They would pay...they would regret ever daring to challenge her reign.

Razor sharp icicles exploded from her palms, fatally impaling four of the invaders before they even knew she was there. That was all the opportunity the Royal Guards needed; they struck the other three down with seconds.

"Head down to the main hall," Elsa ordered. "I'm going to sweep the rest of this floor." Not giving them a chance to respond, she took off gliding through the air.

It was almost certain that the entire Castle was under attack. Anyone hoping to usurp her rule would need to put the entire building under their control. The Queen hurried down the hall, knowing that whoever was behind such a grand attack would likely be targeting some of the loyal nobility as well.

Elsa flew down the next flight of stairs, hearing the sounds of a sizable battle below. Coming to a stop at the bottom, she was greeted by the sight of perhaps a dozen Royal Guards clashing with fifty armed men. A few weaponless nobles and Castle servants were swept up in the chaos, doing their best to not be struck by either side.

Many aristocrats were likely cowering in their bedrooms, hoping to wait out the fighting. Teams of Royal Guards were clumped together, desperately holding back the invaders, but they were outnumbered at least three to one.

Elsa had made sure to give every soldier a chance to surrender when she had assaulted David's tower. But there would be no such mercy here. These men were doing far more than just following orders. They had agreed to assault her Castle, her guards, and all of her faithful subjects, and for that they would pay the ultimate price. She would not waste time giving their pitiful lives a chance when every second wasted could result in the death of another innocent.

The Queen struck them down without hesitation. It was too late to save some of the guards. Skilled as they were, even the most proficient swordsman could not hold out against such overwhelming odds for long. But the survivors fought on with renewed hope as their attackers were suddenly pierced by shards of ice or crushed by waves of snow.

It only took a minute. Some of the attackers tried to break off and attack the Queen herself, but she brushed aside their efforts contemptuously. A final torrent of ice was launched from her hands, and it was all over.

"Get to the main hall, hurry!" she ordered the remaining guards. Not waiting for a reply, Elsa took off gliding down the hallway. A lone invader was standing guard by the flight of stairs, but with a quick wave of her hand he was fatally launched down he stairway by a powerful gust of cold air.

A shout sounded to her right. "No, please! Don't!" It was coming from the door to a side parlor. Stopping her flight, Elsa blasted the wooden barrier with another gust of cold air.

It was Kayla, one of the maids that Anna had taking a shining to. One of the attackers had the young girl pinned to the sofa; he was leering at her triumphantly as he began to remove her shirt. The maid was kicking at him desperately, but her struggles were only amusing him. Her eyes were wide with helpless panic.

He was a hired mercenary, no doubt attempting to take advantage of current circumstances to have his way with some of the staff. Elsa's rage rose to a fever pitch as she witnessed a young woman- not even in her teens- seconds away from being scarred for life.

A single large shard of ice shot out of her palm. Elsa consciously gave it less momentum than usual, so that it only pierced the man's chest without continuing onto his intended victim. Kayla screamed as the body slumped to the ground beside her.

The maid turned to look at her. Shock, terror, and relief shone in her eyes as she began crying. Elsa's heart ached to comfort the girl, but the monarch knew that such an act could cost a dozen innocent lives as the battle raged below.

"G...Y...Your Majesty?"

"You're safe. Stay here," Elsa commanded.

\

As chaotic as the fight in the upper halls had been, the battles there had been nothing compared to the vicious battles of survival that waged throughout the bottom floor. Conflict waged throughout the entrance hall, the ballrooms, the dining rooms, parlors, libraries, kitchens, galleries, and even the throne room. In all places, her men faced even odds at best. The Royal Guards stationed in the Palace were numerous, but many had not been on duty when the attack began. Some were not even clad in their armor as they fought.

The Castle's other residents ran through the chaos, simply trying to survive. The maids, cooks, and other servants were mostly being ignored, but the enemy was not taking care to avoid striking them down. Screams of the innocent echoed through the night.

The invaders were not skilled enough to match her men in one on one combat, but they were certainly experienced swordsman. As a whole, they probably outnumbered the Royal Guards stationed in the Castle by a two to one margin. There were enough of them to comprise the servants/escorts of at least forty nobles.

How could they all betray me?! Protesting Anna is one thing, but this...

They had come up with a clever scheme, she had to admit. But there was one fatal flaw: they had assumed she would be dead. Anna had woken up, somehow, and that small twist of fate had perhaps changed the fate of Arendelle forever.

A protective cyclone circled around her, protecting Elsa from the attackers using crossbows and throwing knives. Swordsman who attempted to approach were slowed to the extent that it was easy for her to strike them down before they got within killing range.

She started in the ballroom, striking down any attacker who crossed her path and saving as many innocent lives as she could. Wherever Elsa went, the battle immediately changed in the defenders' favor.

The invaders, many of whom were stunned by her survival, either attacked her with suicidal desperation or tried to flee as fast their legs could carry them. But only a scant few managed to escape her wrath.

Entire groups of attackers were sent to the floor as sheets of ice sprouted beneath their feet, leaving them easy pickings for the Royal Guards. Elsa trusted that her men would leave some of their enemies alive. She couldn't care one iota for their lives, but when this was over Evangeline would need prisoners to interrogate. The Queen made a solemn vow to ensure that every perpetrator was hunted down and brought to justice.

At the back of the Grand Ballroom, General Kale and three of his fellows were beset by eight invaders. Despite the general's advanced age, he was holding his own against the mercenaries even as he and his men were pushed further into a corner.

Elsa raised both her arms high. A three-meter high wave of snow erupted at her feet and sped at the mercenaries. The wall of white took them from the side, slamming every last one of the attackers into the wall before they knew she was there. A pair of stragglers behind Elsa attempted to take advantage of the distraction, even as they were buffeted by the cyclone.

She turned around, creating a compressed blast of air and sending them flying across the ballroom.

"What happened?" she questioned Kale immediately.

The general shook his head helplessly. "I...don't know, Your Majesty. One minute, everything was under control, the next we were fighting for our lives."

Sighing, she turned to leave, but a raised hand from Kale stopped her. "One more thing, Your Majesty. They were targeting me in particular; a group of them tried to assault my chambers. Thanks to the guards in the area-" he indicated the men surrounding him, "I was able to fight them off and get here. But if they were aiming for me..."

Elsa knew what he meant. The invaders weren't just targeting herself and some of the nobility; they were targeting her administration. This was not good news. Most of them, unlike Kale, we're not fighters. If they were caught unprepared and without guards...

"Understood," she replied quickly before taking flight once again.

/

Her purge of the Castle' lower levels was relentless. Dozens of men were crushed beneath bales of snow, sent hurtling into the air by gusts of freezing wind, or simply impaled on stakes of ice. All attempts at retaliation proved useless against her rapidly circulating cyclone and well-practiced aim.

Surviving wasn't the hard part. Her abilities provided her more than enough protection. But every corpse she saw on the ground...guards, servants, soldiers...made her feel as if she had just taken a knife to the heart. Three thousand individuals, counting the roughly two thousand guests of the Solstice, had resided in the Palace tonight. Based on the casualties so far, Elsa couldn't help but suspect that at least a hundred innocents would perish in the attack.

She had so much power…but she couldn't save them all. And this battle was far from over.


	52. Chapter 52

She made her way into the throne room, striking down every intruder unfortunate enough to cross her path. Her very presence served as a beacon of hope to the beleaguered defenders.

A chilly cyclone continued to circle around the Queen, protecting her from constant attacks by the mercenaries. They tried everything they could: powerful bows, throwing knives, and even attempting to throw their swords through the freezing winds. But it would take a person of Anna's strength to have a hope of penetrating the vortex, and none of these mercenaries could hold a candle to the Knight.

Anna. Since she could sense that all five of her creations remained intact above, Elsa could safely assume that the redhead was still safely secure in their bedroom. As long as her icy warriors remained in place, the monarch was confident that no physical harm would come to her lover. Even if the unthinkable happened and she tried to hurt herself, Elsa had given her creations orders to prevent self-inflicted harm.

Please, please. Gods, don't let it come to that.

Over a hundred combatants were fighting in the throne room. The odds for the defenders were better than they had been in previous battles, as many of the Guards that had been freed by Elsa's victories had spread out to join other fights. The mercenaries still had the advantage of numbers, but the Royal Guards were making up for that with their superior skill.

And the Queen was about to render all of that moot.

Ten Royal Guards stood in a circle, facing outwards. They were surrounded by nearly twenty attackers; both sides were tentatively striking at the other's defenses. Elsa glided up behind them, raising her palms and striking several of them in the back with shards of ice. Flying around to the other side, she summoned a massive pile of snow and dropped it upon another ten invaders. Cheering heartily, the defenders pressed their advantage against the now outnumbered mercenaries.

"Your Majesty!"

Elsa's heart lurched. On the other side of the room, near her throne, Arms Master Drell was facing several determined attackers. Behind him stood Lord Arald, a line of blood visible through his severed sleeve.

Within seconds they would be overwhelmed. Drell was a skilled warrior; there was a reason she'd chosen him to mentor Anna, after all. But he was somewhat past his prime and beset by more than one experienced swordsman. They were well away from any other defenders, and Arald had no skill in combat. And as more mercenaries came to the aid of their fellows- seeing a prime opportunity to eliminate two of their targets, the odds were growing long indeed.

Elsa shot forward like a cannon, flying high over the masses of fighters below. She struck down several lone mercenaries as she glided towards the Arms Master; the actions were so smooth that they didn't even require her to pause. By the time she reached Drell, an invader had already scored a glancing blow on his leg. He raised his blade high as the Arms Master fell into a crouch.

Drell was less than a second away from losing his head when Elsa released another torrent of icicles from her palms.

The mercenaries were cut to ribbons. Drell's attacker slumped forward, a two-meter long shard of ice lodged in his back. For once, however, Elsa's aim had not been perfect. One of her projectiles had slipped pass the attackers; the edge of it sliced through Drell's arm.

"Aah!" he gave a cry of pain, but the flow of blood emanating from the wound was more of a trickle than a flood. It probably stung like hell, but Drell would live. The Queen wished she had the time to heal him, but for the moment there were others who required her aid.

"Your Majesty!" he called after her, but Elsa was already flying towards the opposite end of the room.

All around the throne room, the mercenaries lost their cohesion as razor-sharp blades of ice hailing down from above suddenly assailed them. Mindful of what had just occurred, Elsa did everything she could to direct her aim perfectly. But despite all of her practice, the Queen was not infallible when it came to directing her powers. More than one Royal Guard was struck by a glancing blow of a falling icicle, though her aim was precise enough to prevent these wounds from being fatal.

The same could not be said for the mercenaries. Many were simply killed outright by her magic, and those that survived suddenly found themselves surrounded as their allies crumpled to the ground around them. The Palace's defenders pressed their advantage as Elsa continued her barrage; more enemies fell every second as the Queen and her subjects worked in cohesion.

Suddenly, it was over. What had been a pitched battle for the throne room suddenly became a mop up operation as the invaders found themselves outnumbered by more than three to one. A tide of surrender rolled over the room as the majority of the mercenaries dropped their swords and raised their arms in defeat.

Elsa couldn't help but scoff at their naivety. If they thought that they would receive mercy from a Queen, even one who was known to be kind and forgiving to her subjects, they would be sadly disappointed. Their interrogations would be harsh, and the best they could hope for would be a life sentence in prison. Of course, continuing to fight would have inevitably led to their deaths, so perhaps they didn't have any good options.

As it should be, Elsa thought to herself. They forfeited their lives the minute they attacked my subjects and challenged my reign.

Her lips setting into a grim frown, the Queen took off through the open doors of the throne room and towards the sounds of continuing battle. She would not stop, could not stop, until every invader was subdued utterly.

It was going to be a long night.

/

The Palace's defenders were gaining ground. As Elsa fought her way through the crowded hallways and towards the entrance hall, the Royal Guards were pressing their advantage against the mercenaries. More than a small number of invaders saw the increasing futility of their efforts and laid down their arms.

But the struggle was far from over. The entrance hall was still the sight of a pitched battle, she knew. And dozens of small skirmishes continued throughout the Castle's corridors. But at last, the end was in sight.

She glided through an archway and arrived in the entrance hall. An equal number of Royal Guards and mercenaries were fighting throughout the massive room.

The entrance hall was a simple yet vital location. It's main feature was a massive door that constituted the primary entryway into the Palace. As if to emphasize that the current threat had come from within, the massive structure remained closed. Other smaller (yet still large) doors and archways led to various rooms and galleries throughout the first floor. If the defenders gained control of it, Elsa knew, the invaders would lose their last strategic advantage.

It was the biggest room in the Castle, and the Queen couldn't clear it all at once without wiping out her own men. An icy cyclone still encircling her, Elsa flew through the air. With every blast of ice from her hands, another attacker fell. She fought towards the doorway, seeking to divide the remaining mercenaries into two smaller masses.

"Your Majesty!"

Elsa turned to her left. Her heart nearly stopped. Evangeline and two of her archers were standing in a corner; they were besieged by dozens of attackers. The spymaster and her agents fired with incredible skill, taking down an enemy with almost every shot, but there were too many attackers for even their abilities to keep at bay indefinitely. Cut off from the rest of the Palace's defenders, they would be overwhelmed in moments.

No! The Queen's hands shot forward. A large wall of ice sprouted from the ground in front of the archers, shielding them on all sides. Elsa glided towards them, ready to finish off the mercenaries who-

WHOOSH! A powerful gust of air broke through Elsa's cyclone and impacted the Queen's side with tremendous force. Then she was hurtling through the entrance hall; her body was a second away from splattering against the main door.

Desperately, she loosed another blast of ice from her palms. A massive one. The magic hit the door with a BANG; the structure immediately began to collapse inward. Still unable to control her flight, the Queen went flying through the newly created hole and out onto the Palace grounds.

With an urgent flick of her wrist, a tall patch of snow materialized above the grass...twenty feet away from the shattered door. Elsa landed on it...the impact was still enough to send her head spinning.

What the hell was that?

Elsa's fall had disrupted her concentration; the cyclone was gone. And now, running through the broken doorway, was a young man. He couldn't have been much more than twenty years of age. Even at this distance, the monarch could discern his youthful features and light brown hair. None of that, however, distracted from the sense of danger brought upon by the thin, black longsword he held in his hands.

He was charging towards her, angling his sword towards Elsa's position on the ground. But it was speed that was truly frightening. He raced across the ground faster than any normal man could ever hope to move...perhaps even as fast as Anna could manage.

The Queen's mind raced. She was facing an enemy mage, one with the ability to control air. Apparently, his powers extended to more than just creating gusts of the element for offensive purposes. By decreasing the air resistance around himself and using the element to amplify his movements, he could move faster than even the most trained and talented athletes.

She hopped to her feet and lifted her palm, creating a field of icicles in his path. Snarling, the mage jumped impossibly high; a blast of air underneath his feet propelled him over her magic. He landed smoothly, ten feet away from her position.

By the time he hit the ground, Elsa was already assailing his position with a torrent of icicles. His reflexes were impressive; he managed to dodge several of the projectiles, but the mage could not keep his efforts up for long. Her enemy gave a cry of pain as one shard scored a glancing cut on his arm, and then another as a second icicle embedded itself in his leg.

The Queen could have killed him then and there, but with a sigh she lowered her palms and broke off her magic. With the mage's appearance, the dots were rapidly connecting in her mind.

Tonight's events had been no ordinary uprising. Somehow, the conspiracy that had been dogging her steps for months was involved. The presence of this mage turned any other explanation into a chain of coincidences far too long too believe.

They've been running out of numbers and resources. So when my relationship with a known criminal came to light, they used the opportunity to stir the conservative nobility into rising against me. We've suspected that they still have an agent in the Palace; perhaps he was the one to provide them with the intelligence and give them access to the armories.

Most of the mercenaries probably knew nothing of the larger scheme they had become pawns of. But this mage was almost certainly one of the conspiracy's direct agents, having been inserted into the mercenaries' ranks and ordered to aid their efforts. He probably knew more than any of the other attackers, and that meant his capture was a necessity.

She twitched her fingers, allowing the icicle in his leg to dissolve. There was no sense in risking his death by hypothermia, after all. Another flick of her wrist caused icy chains to sprout up from the ground and reach for his hands.

But even while wounded, his speed and reflexes were almost superhuman. He rolled to the left, narrowly dodging her magic, before jumping high into the air. His momentum carried him towards Elsa, and his sword was angled for her neck.

A barrier of ice materialized between them as Elsa raised her palm contemptuously. The longsword glanced off the shield harmlessly. His blow deflected, the mage fell to the ground and tumbled past. He climbed to his feet awkwardly as the Queen dispelled the barrier.

"You're no match for me," Elsa declared. "Surrender and I will let you live."

In response, the mage threw both of his hands forward, creating a wave of air larger than any the monarch had seen him manipulate thus far. The gale zeroed in on Elsa, as if the air itself was eager to knock the Queen off her feet.

Air was not her forte. Elsa was the mistress of ice, not wind. But creating cool air had always been a secondary ability granted by her powers. And her magic was powerful enough for even its lesser applications to overwhelm another mage's primary gift.

She lifted one of her arms above her chest. With nothing more than a single thought on Elsa's part, a massive gust of freezing wind swept forward from her palm. The mage's own blast of air was overwhelmed almost instantly as the Queen's attack shot forward.

The mage was lifted into the air, and he went vaulting towards the outer walls behind him. The momentum carried her opponent nearly fifty meters away, but at the last second he shot a small blast of air towards the ground. His fall cushioned, he dropped onto the grass. Then, under his own power, he took off flying towards the sky. A jet of air from each foot sustained his flight.

Elsa cursed. She was faster than he was, that was certain. But he already had a head start, and by the time she reached him, more of her loyal subjects would perish inside the Castle. Lamenting her foolishness in propelling the mage so far away, she turned around and made her way back into the building.

/

The outcome was now certain. Pockets of fighting doubtlessly continued throughout the Castle, but the victory of the defenders was all but assured. Thanks to Elsa's magic, what had been a desperate fight for survival had turned into a rout of the mercenaries.

But the Queen did not consider this night a victory. By allowing a battle to have been fought in the first place, she had failed her people. True, the outcome could have been far worse, but many innocents were dead or wounded.

Thanks to the cover provided by Elsa before her duel with the mage, Evangeline and her archers had made it through unscathed. Much of the Council remained unaccounted for, however. The Queen made her way through the Castle, helping her men subdue the last pockets of resistance and helping anyone she could. Her instructions were simple. Civilians were to gather in the throne room, which had been secured completely and was now protected by a large complement of Royal Guards. Also now under control was the entrance hall, where a makeshift infirmary had been established. Periodically, Elsa returned there to heal the heavily wounded. Every prisoner was escorted to the dungeons, one of the few sections of the Palace that had not come under attack in the first place.

She was gliding down a hallway near the servants' quarters when she heard the voices...and the sobbing.

Elsa quickly moved to the source of the sounds. The corridor was clear; there was no sign of mercenaries or servants. But as she rounded the corner, the Queen came upon two Royal Guards posted in front of a doorway.

The room they were standing in front of was known as the Servants' Lounge. It was a spacious, comfortable room where the staff could relax after a long day's work. The lounge contained many sofas, tables, chairs, and even a small library. And, most importantly, it was the source of the crying that pervaded in Elsa's ears. The voice sounded hauntingly familiar.

Noticing her, the two guards paled. "Your Majesty, we did the best we could- the survivors are safe within this room. My Queen, I apologize, but-"

"Out of my way." The guards hastily moved to the side as she marched forward, hurriedly barging through the door.

What she found was a collection of maids, servants, and guards- dozens of them. Many were wounded, and those with a paltry amount of medical knowledge among them were tending to the injured as best they could. Her gaze swept across the room-

A torrent of emotions radiated throughout Elsa's entire being. Shock. Disbelief. Rage. Then all else was swept away as an overwhelming tide of grief seized her heart, stronger than any she had experienced since the deaths of her parents.

Sitting on the ground, weeping, was Gerda. All of the staff were staring at the woman, a mixture of grief, revulsion, and sympathy plain on their faces. Kai was slumped in the head maid's arms, a massive, bloody wound prominent on his chest.

"No!" Elsa sobbed as she fell to her knees. All sense of royal decorum was gone. She shuffled forward, desperately placing her hands on Kai's chest and filling it with as much healing magic as she could muster. Gerda looked up at her in slight surprise, but the maid's eyes were absent of hope.

"It happened...an hour ago...too late," Gerda managed. Looking down at the butler's body, Elsa knew that the words were true. His shirt glistened with drying blood. Kai's face, always filled with calm loyalty and dry wit, was now devoid of life.

Before her, Gerda struggled to speak, but all she could manage was another strangled cry. It didn't matter. The Queen could pierce together what had happened. The mercenaries had targeted Kai and Gerda. Elsa had known they were after her administration, but she hadn't realized that their list would include her seneschal and his wife.

How did I forget about them?! I could have...

Of course. It made sense. Kai had helped manage much of her affairs and was a trusted, if informal, advisor. Gerda led the Castle's staff. Both possessed utmost loyalty to the crown and would never have bowed to a usurper. The nobles had considered them threats, and the guards had only managed to protect one of them.

Instinctively, she reached forward, wrapping the maid in an embrace that was quickly returned. It was only when she felt the tears dripping onto her arm that the Queen realized that she was crying as well.

At another time, Elsa would have noted how wholly inappropriate this moment was. Sobbing into the arms of a member of her staff, even one she was close to, in front of dozens of witnesses was not proper behavior for a Queen. Yet right now, that was the last thought on Elsa's mind.

Kai had been there for her since the minute of her birth. Alongside his wife, he had helped raise her, protect her, and nurture her while Elsa's otherwise loving parents were busy handling the affairs of the realm. He'd been an unshakable pillar of support for her entire reign- utterly loyal and always dependable. Despite the veil of formality that had always existed between the Queen and her servants, he was one of the few people she had been willing to call friend.

And now he had been taken from her.

They were going to pay. These monsters who had come within a hair's breath of murdering Elsa, mutilated her cousin, tortured her love, and killed dozens of her innocent subjects in their mad quest...they would pay. She would hunt them down to the ends of the earth, and they would all suffer for their crimes.


	53. Chapter 53

Elsa sat on her throne, making no attempt to conceal the scowl on her face. Standing before her were over two dozen aristocrats, all in chains and surrounded by a complement of Royal Guards.

Fundamentalists, traditionalists, sexists, and homophobes, they all had one thing in common: complicity in the scheme to murder their Queen and end her reign.

Each of them had been named by captured intruders following the attack that had occurred two days ago. Nearly forty of the visiting nobles had smuggled in mercenaries disguised as servants after having been invited to the Solstice celebrations. Some had managed to escape for the time being, but most had been hunted down and now awaited judgment.

They hadn't lasted long under questioning. Their answers only gave credence to Elsa's belief that the larger conspiracy had orchestrated this uprising. Ambrose Durron had been singled out as their leader. According to each of the prisoners, he had provided them with vital intelligence of the Palace's defenses and access to the building's armories. Apparently, Durron himself had received these from an inside source in the Castle, but had been honor-bound not to name him (or her.)

Durron would not be testifying. They'd found his body in one of the guest rooms; his hands had been clenching the dagger that had been thrust into his chest. Apparently, he had not intended to stick around after realizing that the rebellion's defeat had become inevitable.

Perhaps it had been a wise choice.

And now these men, these...monsters, held no more use for her. Evangeline was confident that they had revealed all that they knew; sheltered aristocrats were not known for their resilience to torture, and each prisoner's account had correlated with that of his fellows.

The number of casualties had been less than anticipated: eighty innocent individuals had lost their lives in the attack. But that number was still far too high. Any number was far too high. Maids had been cut down in the crossfire. Two Council members, Lord Vance and Lady Montinque, had been killed. All of the others, save Evangeline, had been wounded. And Kai, the closest thing she'd had to a father for the last six years, had been butchered.

Now it was time for the sentencing.

"You are all guilty of high treason," she addressed them now. None of them were surprised, of course, each had confessed their guilt in hopes of obtaining a lighter sentence and avoiding further interrogation. But the reactions of the assembled prisoners were still varied. Some looked up at her defiantly, while others failed to conceal the fear that was racing through them. The rest were doing their best to keep their expressions neutral.

"You are traitors, butchers, and murderers of the worst sort. And although you did not wield the blades yourselves, I hold each of you responsible for every murder committed under this roof," the Queen said firmly, her voice dripping with anger.

One woman raised her head. "Only a handful of nobles perished, Your Majesty. And you yourself were uninjured. Please, we beg for mercy!"

Elsa glared down at her with barely restrained fury. "You killed eighty citizens of Arendelle. I don't care if they were scullery maids. Their lives are worth as much to me as that of the highest noble- and certainly far more than yours."

"You brought this upon yourself!" a Lord challenged. "All their blood is on your hands! If you had just taken a King as your consort, instead of that whore-" he motioned to Anna, standing at Elsa's right and trying to keep her face impassive, "None of this would have happened."

A stab of guilt struck at Elsa's heart. The thought had occurred to her already, of course. Choosing Anna as her consort had been a risk, one that had partially led to the recent tragedy. She could never have imagined that Anna's position would have led to such a revolt, of course. It had only been made possible thanks to the wider conspiracy, after all. But the Queen still felt partially responsible.

"You're right!" Anna blurted out. "She did make a mistake. She overestimated the basic human decency of her nobility! Nothing would have happened if she didn't choose me? Nothing would have happened if you all weren't a gang of heartless killers! And you have no one to blame for your fates but yourselves."

"How dare you?!" a Lady challenged. "You're nothing but a fornicating peasant! Yet you presume to talk down to us, members of families that have been guiding Arendelle for centuries? Go back to the gutter where you belong."

Anna stared her down. She opened her mouth to say something else, but a calm raised hand from her Queen signaled her to leave the talking to Elsa.

"She has more honor in her finger than all of you have ever had in your entire lives," the monarch ordained. Despite the grief and anger that still pervaded throughout her being, Elsa felt a rush of affection flow through her as she spoke of Anna. Even now, when it felt like the world was crashing down around her, the Knight's presence provided Elsa with no small amount of comfort.

Anna had been horrified to come out of her episode and learn that she had sat through a devastating assault on the Castle. But Elsa would hear none of it. The Knight had saved her life once again, and was the only reason that her reign was still intact. The timing of her trauma had been unfortunate, of course, but Anna couldn't be blamed.

The Knight had been devastated, especially when she had learned of Kai's death. She hadn't known the head servant for nearly as long as Elsa, but he had always been a kind presence and eager tutor in a Castle where many still treated her with hostility.

"In any event, my decision was made days ago. All of you will face retribution for your crimes. There is only one punishment suitable for such high treason. Tomorrow, you will be executed by hanging, and when your fellows are caught they will be subjected to the same fate," she revealed.

The nobles erupted in a chorus of protests. Even Anna looked at her hesitantly; no doubt she was remembering her own judgment at the Queen's hands. But it was situations like this that made her pardoning of Anna's thievery understandable. She could well have given the girl the death penalty for robbery. But her petty thievery had been nothing compared to the crimes committed by those now before her.

"I am not done," Elsa continued. "As long as I find no evidence linking them to your schemes, your family members will not be blamed for your actions. I will not punish the innocent. But an example must be set. All of your houses are hereby stripped of their noble status. The majority of your fortunes will be confiscated. I will leave your family members enough wealth and property to live comfortably, but it will be generations before your names can wield political influence once again.

She was actually being merciful, in a way. Most monarchs would have stripped the traitors of their entire estates and left their families penniless. But Elsa would not punish the innocent in such a way. The relatives of those about to be executed would find it difficult to wield political influence, but they would continue to live comfortably.

"Now-" she motioned to the guards. "Get them out of my sight."

/

"Are you sure about this, Elsa?" Anna questioned as they sat down for lunch. As much as she despised the aristocrats who had just been sentenced, the death penalty just didn't sit right with her.

"Of course," the Queen responded as she took a drink from her glass. "I take no pleasure in ordering their executions, but it has to be done. They have to serve as an example of what happens to traitors and murderers under my reign."

The Knight shuddered slightly. Once, she had briefly believed herself likely to receive the same sentence from Elsa. She knew now that the Queen would never have subjected her to such a fate for petty thievery, but Anna could still remember the overpowering fear that had plagued her while the punishment of death had hung over her head.

"It just seems so...barbaric. Executing people, I mean. Couldn't we, you know, just imprison them?" she ventured.

Elsa's gaze rounded on her harshly. "Yes, I suppose it is barbaric," she agreed. "Just like massacring our guards, invading our Castle, and killing Kai was barbaric. Don't you think they deserve death for that?" she demanded, her voice rising.

The Knight sighed. She knew Elsa was grieving, and that grief tended to make the Queen lash out at everyone and anyone in the vicinity. Anna, too, was in mourning. Not to the same extent as Elsa, who had known Kai for over twenty years, but it had been a crushing blow nonetheless. The seneschal, a constant, reassuring presence in the Castle who had never hesitated to aid her, was suddenly gone. And unlike Elsa, who at least had spent the night defending the Castle, Anna had been upstairs crying.

"Of course it was! But we're supposed to be better than them...aren't we? Killing them when they're not a threat just seems wrong," Anna replied.

Elsa held her gaze. "We are better than them. Did we start this? Did we ever try to hurt them? Our only crime was loving each other. I never asked for this war. But I'm going to finish it."

"It just doesn't seem right," Anna affirmed. "And anyway, they might still have information we can use. They're not going to be telling us anything else if they're dead," she pointed out.

The Queen shook her head. "Evangeline and her agents interrogated them all separately. Every one of the nobles gave the same answer. Ambrose Durron was behind it all, and he had a source who he was honor bound to keep secret. Believe me, Anna, if they had known more, they would have gladly said so to save their skins. Durron, in his own way, was a bit more honorable, I suppose. Or as honorable as murdering swine can be, anyway."

Anna simply nodded forlornly.

The Queen's gaze softened a fraction of a degree. "Maybe you're right. Perhaps I'm just not good enough a person to realize it. Anna, you're more moral than I could ever hope to be. But maybe that's for the best. I am the Queen. Sometimes the decisions I have to make aren't noble. I wish I could always do the right thing, but Arendelle is more important than moral principles. It's my duty to do the smart thing, not the right thing. Do you understand?"

Anna did. "You have to execute them to keep Arendelle strong. Showing them mercy will make people think you're weak. I get that. I don't like it. If I were in your shoes I could never bring myself to give that order. But I guess I can accept it."

Thinking about the dead bodies now arrayed in the Castle's morgue made it easier.

Elsa nodded. "I can always count on you...can't I?" she mused, her tone now soft. The Knight felt a guilty pang at her words, thinking back to the previous night where she'd been all but useless, but the suddenly vulnerable look on the Queen's face prompted her to remain silent.

"Promise me I won't lose you Anna," Elsa whispered.

The room became noticeably chillier as the words were spoken, but that wasn't the reason the Knight gazed at her Queen with surprise. "What? Elsa, you're never going to lose me. I promise."

"Are you sure? My parents promised the same thing. Now they're dead. Kai is...gone. Gerda might never be the same. The rest of my family is in Corona and...I need you, Anna. I know you've said that my life is more important than yours, but without you I wouldn't be able to...Please, just...be careful," the Queen pleaded.

Oh, Elsa.

"I promise," Anna said firmly.

The Queen offered her a slight grimace. "I'm sorry if that sounded desperate. It's just that I-"

"Don't worry about it," Anna interrupted. "You need me, I don't mind at all. I mean, what I'm trying to say is- I need you too. Elsa, you make my life worth living. I don't mean just the food and the clothes and the bed...not that I don't appreciate those too, because I do, but-" the Knight sighed, trying to reign in her mouth. "You're the only person who's ever loved me. I never knew what it felt like to have someone care about you so much, and now that I do I could never go back to being on my own. So...we need each other. Maybe it's not healthy, but it's the way it is and I'm fine with it." In truth, she could admit to herself, part of Anna liked being needed. Before her arrival in the Castle, it had been an unfamiliar sensation.

Nothing was said in response. Elsa simply outstretched her arm over the table, linking her hand with Anna's.

"I've got an idea," the Knight offered as their fingers laced together. "Why don't we take the day off, just you and me? We can just relax and read in bed; I think we've earned it."

The Queen's eyes fell to the table. "Anna, I would love to, but there's no way in hell that I could take a day off right after the Palace was attacked. There's a Council meeting later to discuss the rest of the country's reaction, I have to go over reparations due to those killed or wounded, help coordinate the investigation into the remaining perpetrators...and talk with Gerda," she said, her voice cracking. "We need to plan...his...you know, and after that I'm letting her go visit her family for a while. I've never seen her so cut up...they were married for over forty years."

Anna nodded dejectedly. It had been a hopeless request, she knew.

Elsa's gaze again lifted to the Knight's face, and Anna's hearing was just acute enough to hear the a sharp yet subtle intake of breath by the monarch. "Anna," she began. "When all of this is-"

At the moment, the door opened to admit the servants carrying their lunch, and the Queen dropped the subject. Despite her natural curiosity, Anna did not try to bring it up again. It wasn't a good idea to press Elsa at the moment, of that she was certain.

They ate lunch quickly; neither of them had much of an appetite. After that, the two of them agreed to split up. Gerda and Elsa needed to go over funeral arrangements, and despite how well she and the head maid got along, Anna didn't think it would be a good idea to include herself in the discussion. The fewer people to witness Gerda's grief, the better.

Promising to meet up with the Queen before the Council meeting, Anna went off to the infirmary. There was someone she needed to visit.

/

Elsa opened the door gently, her heart fluttering as she entered the maid's room. Gerda was sitting on her bed, eyes trained meekly on the blankets. Her normal collected confidence had deserted her.

"Good morning," the Queen said awkwardly. It was a greeting that had no place in such somber times, but what else could she say? Despite herself, Elsa felt her eyes dropping to the floor.

Gerda, however, did not lose her professionalism so easily. Rising to her feet, the maid bowed her head and dipped into a short curtsy. "Your Majesty," she greeted.

\

Their discussion was painful. Discussing a man who they had both cared for immensely and had just been taken from them was excruciating enough, but arranging his funeral made his passing seem all the more real. Elsa could almost feel Kai's death sinking into her mind further with each minute.

He's gone. Because of my mistakes he's gone and Gerda is a widow.

"Okay...next Sunday," Elsa was saying. "All of the staff will be required to attend. I'll pay for all of the arrangements out of my personal account, of course." She was prepared for Gerda to object, but to the Queen's relief she simply nodded.

"You want to show your gratitude for his service, I understand," the maid replied.

Elsa nodded. "And yours as well. After the ceremony, you will be going on a period of paid leave, correct? You deserve some time to visit your family in the northern province."

Gerda sighed. "Yes, but only for a week," she said firmly. "The staff will need me, especially now that...especially now. You need me."

The room grew colder by a fraction of a degree. "I do," Elsa agreed. "But I need you at your best. You're a strong woman, Gerda, but after...what happened, you should take more than a week. A month, at the least."

"A month?!" Gerda protested.

"Yes. All paid leave, of course. Your service is important to me. But what is even more important to me is seeing the people I care about safe and happy. You need a break, Gerda, and I'm going to make sure you get one," the Queen said firmly.

Indecision was alight in the maid's eyes, but eventually she dipped her head. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Elsa nodded. "Get some rest, Gerda. I...I have to go to a Council meeting, but if you want to talk later, just send someone to come and find me."

"I will." Satisfied, the Queen turned to leave.

"Your Majesty?" Gerda beckoned. Surprised, Elsa swiveled back to face the maid.

"Don't blame yourself. None of us ever believed that Anna's position would lead to a true revolt. Kai supported the two of you more than anyone," she affirmed. Now, the Queen could see tears beginning to form in Gerda's eyes.

"He was so happy for you, Elsa," the maid continued. "After your parents died, and you were alone, we tried to fill the void, but we knew we couldn't be enough. You were isolated for so long...and then Anna walked into your life. Kai was hopeful that you would end up together ever since you invited Anna to dinner that first night. I wasn't sure that you preferred women...but I suppose he had an eye for such things."

Elsa stepped forward, placing a hand on the maid's shoulder. "Gerda, I..."

"He did everything he could to make Anna's time easier. The entire staff was warned that if they displeased her, they would go a night without supper. Every night he could, he cleared your schedule so you could spend time with her. After you finally got together...he was so proud, Elsa."

The Queen's mind spun. She'd always known that Kai supported her relationship with Anna, of course, but the rest was news to her, Clearly, the seneschal had been more perceptive than Elsa had gave him credit for.

"The last thing he would have wanted," Gerda finished, "Was for you to have blamed yourself."

Elsa was at a loss for words.

/

Anna hurried through the halls. She knew she wasn't supposed to run, but time was of the essence.

Her usual hyperactivity contrasted sharply with the mood of the Castle. None of the servants and soldiers she passed so much as cracked a smile. The nobility, those who had been innocent that was, had been sent home.

What was supposed to have been a week of merriment for all had instead turned out to be a dark time for the Palace. Nearly everyone was mourning the loss of at least one friend.

Anna herself wasn't happy, of course. Far from it. But instead of dealing with it by looking at the floor and sulking, she put on a false energized air and did her best not to cry.

She rounded the corner, heading for the infirmary-

Then stopped as she noticed a man walking towards her from the other end of the hall. General Kale was heading towards the infirmary as well, it seemed.

Despite their past animosity, Anna tried to be civil. "General," she dipped her head in greeting. "I was not aware you were injured," the Knight pointed out as she noticed him covered a wound on his arm.

Kale scowled. "Yes. I'm here to pick up a salve. Some blasted mercenary wounded me during the thick of the fighting. It was quite a battle, after all. Pity you missed it."

So much for being civil.

"I had a panic attack!" Anna protested. "I woke up Elsa and saved her from an arrow- again- before I had a flashback to when I was tortured! Believe me, I would have been there if I could have been."

"How convenient," the General remarked.

Anna's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?!" she demanded.

Kale stepped forward, a dangerous light in his eyes. "Arendelle had been at peace for decades. The Queen's reign was unchallenged. Then, on the day you enter her life, a massive conspiracy suddenly takes root. Everywhere you go, the Queen is attacked. Hammerfest. Corona. Her own Castle. And yet, I've never seen you fight to defend her."

Anna couldn't believe what she was hearing. The sole goal in her life was to protect and serve Elsa. Now she was being accused of treason?

"How dare you!" the Knight shouted. "I've saved Elsa's life half a dozen times. Maybe she's attacked when she's with me because she's always with me! I was tortured because I protected her! Have you not seen my face?!" she pointed forcefully to the scar on her cheek.

"You could have given that to yourself, or allowed one of your allies to do it for you. These conspirators are obviously willing to sacrifice their own well-being to see Elsa's reign ended. Maybe you did the same," Kale pointed out.

"Elsa trusts me," Anna hissed. "Why can't you?!"

Kale frowned. "Elsa is a wise and talented Queen. But she is also a young woman who has fallen in love for the first time. Perhaps her judgment is clouded when it concerns you. I, on the other hand, refuse to trust a notorious thief who wormed her way into the Queen's heart just as a revolt begins."

"We sleep in the same bed, for the sake of the gods!" Anna cried. "I could have stabbed her in her sleep a hundred times over if I wanted to."

Kale nodded. "Perhaps. But I don't believe that these conspirators want to kill her. If they did, the traitors who betrayed her during the first attack would have stabbed her the second she was unconscious."

"Or maybe they just changed their plans because they realized that she was too dangerous to keep contained, and you're just an arrogant ass who dislikes me because I'm a woman and a peasant and yet I've done far more for Elsa than you ever will," she accused, staring hard into his eyes.

The general grinned viciously. "You're welcome to your opinions, Anna," he said, deliberately omitting her title. "But unless you're going to challenge me to an honor duel, you'll just have to deal with the fact that someone here sees through you. Even if you aren't a spy, and perhaps you aren't, you're still nothing better than a coward who's successfully seduced the Queen because you knew that she could get you out of the alleyways."

"Maybe I should challenge you," Anna remarked.

"Oh, that'd be sporting, would it not? You only have the strength of twenty men and the speed to match. Imagine how impressive it would be if you bested a normal man in combat," he remarked.

Anna's fists clenched, but she knew he was right. She could defeat him with her eyes closed; there would be no honor in that. And the last thing Elsa needed at the moment was more controversy.

"Maybe I'll challenge you," said a familiar voice.

Standing at the door to the infirmary stood the person Anna had originally come to see. Drell's leg was still heavily bandaged...even Elsa's magic could only heal so much, and he was standing only with the assistance of a set of wooden crutches. Strangely, they didn't serve to make him any less intimidating.

"If you're finished insulting my favorite student, perhaps you should move aside and let the adults talk," Drell intoned.

Kale scowled. "I'm not in the mood to argue with a man I respect," he said, before turning and walking down the hall. Anna could hear him muttering about 'blind fools' even from several feet away.

"Don't mind him," the Arms Master assured her. "He's just upset because his vaunted Royal Guards let an invasion happen right under their noses."

Anna nodded. "I guess...Hey! Shouldn't you be sitting down?" Large bandages were covering a wound on his leg, and even now the Knight noticed his crutches beginning to wobble.

"Probably," Drell admitted. Stepped forward, Anna took him by the arm and helped the Arms Master back into the infirmary. It was a large room, and currently filled by the beds of injured patients. The Castle's medical staff was working overtime- caring for the dozens of patients that had suddenly become their responsibility. Doing her best not to tear up at the sight of the injured, Anna led her teacher to his private room at the other end of the infirmary.

"So many..." she murmured. This was not the first time she'd visited the infirmary since the attack, but Anna's guilt and sorrow were as profound as they had been the first time.

Settling onto his bed with some difficult, Drell looked upon her with concern. "I hope you're not blaming yourself."

Anna stared at him. "Of course not..." she began. His ironclad glare advised her to change course. "Well, maybe a bit," she admitted. "I know I couldn't have saved them all, but if I hadn't just...panicked, there might be less people in those beds out there right now."

With surprising strength, Drell reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't hold yourself responsible. Frankly, it's ridiculous. Without you, we would all be dead or in chains. Yes, you panicked...because of torture you sustained the last time you saved the Queen. Anna, you're strong, but you're still only human. You can't do it all. And no one could have asked for more. Youve done everything in your power to keep the Queen safe. No one who stays behind to protect their monarch...then goes through days of torture to protect her secrets...is a coward."

The Knight did her best to smile.


	54. Chapter 54

Anna had experienced several unpleasant Council meetings, but none had ever been nearly as painful as the one she was currently enduring.

Everyone was on edge. Two of their number had been murdered without warning and funerals had to be arranged. Elsa did her best to remain a focal point of calm, but even Anna's untrained eye could see the stress breaking through the Queen's facade.

Elsa and Anna were not alone in their grief. Not everyone on the Council was fond of one another, but several friendships had formed among the eclectic group over the years. Lord Vance and Lady Montinique had been well liked by many, and much of the Council was mourning the loss of at least one friend.

The only consolation was that their anger did not appear to be directed at either the Queen or herself. Some of the Council's members disapproved of the relationship shared by the two women. But to their credit, they were all fiercely loyal to Arendelle and its monarch. They didn't care why forty nobles had rebelled; no matter what their excuse, each and every one of them were traitors in the eyes of the entire Council.

That didn't mean Anna wasn't still the recipient of some anger, of course. In a battle where many of them had been forced to fight, the Knight herself had been absent. Even though they were made aware that she had been incapacitated by memories of her time withstanding torture, it was still hard for them to ignore the fact that she had spent the night crying in her chambers.

Anna was more than just a Knight. She was widely acknowledged as the most powerful warrior in the kingdom, second only to Elsa in terms of combat ability. In times such as these, people expected her to come to their defense...no matter what the circumstances.

No one said anything to her directly, but Anna received plenty of questioning looks. The Knight wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Kale had made it his personal mission to glower at her for the entire session.

Fortunately, there was some good news. Evangeline's agents- those not sent after the remaining perpetrators- were reporting that the vast majority of the public's sympathies lied with the Queen. Elsa, despite her peculiarities, was a well-liked ruler by the masses, Anna knew. Her intelligence, compassion, and unwavering dedication- all of the qualities that made her a monarch Anna was proud to serve- had won her the support of her people.

Most of them, anyway.

They'd been sitting, or in Anna's case, standing, in this room for over two hours. Thanks the gods, there was only one last matter to discuss.

A heavy sigh was heard at the head of the table. "I don't relish the task, but this Council is traditionally composed of twelve members. We now have nine," Elsa noted. "For the sake of Arendelle's stability, and to demonstrate that we still have everything under control, we have to induct at least one replacement."

There were slight nods around the table. "I think we are all in agreement, Your Majesty," Lady Catherine remarked. "The problem is, neither the Vance or Montinique families have a suitable candidate at the moment."

"If I may offer a suggestion..." Evangeline prompted. Elsa nodded her consent.

"Both families have potential candidates. Vance's daughter is sixteen and perfectly capable, and the same goes for Montonque's fifteen year old son. You could proclaim that both will be admitted to the Council on their twentieth birthdays. That would placate both Houses."

Kale frowned. "That's fine," he began, "But that doesn't solve our immediate problem. We need a tenth member as soon as possible, and there are no obvious contenders."

Evangeline smiled ever so slightly. "I disagree. There is an obvious candidate. She's in this very room, in fact."

Anna's brain was one of the last to connect the dots. By the time she realized the implication of Evangeline's words, everyone in the room was staring at her. Even Elsa was unable to conceal a brief start of surprise.

"Wait, what? Me?" Anna sputtered. "But...I can't, I mean I have no experience! I'm just a commoner," she managed.

"Not any more," Evangeline shook her head. "As a Knight, you outrank much of the nobility within the kingdom. In fact, you have a much higher position than I did when I joined this Council."

Kale looked as if he was going to pop a blood vessel. "You can't be serious," he scoffed. "She said it herself, she has no experience. What could she bring to the table? It's not just a matter of rank; it's a matter of ability."

The Queen frowned thoughtfully. "That's true enough, to a point," she agreed. "I can't say Anna would have been my first choice, simply because of her lack of education when it comes to matters of the state." As she spoke, Elsa sent a sideways reassuring glance into Anna's eyes. She meant no offense, the Knight knew. It was just a statement of fact.

"I think this Council already has enough experience," Lord Arald spoke up. His words were soft, but they were filled with conviction nonetheless. "Perhaps we need something new. Everyone on this Council was born from nothing less than landed gentry. I think it's time someone from a lesser background had a voice."

Anna had always liked Lord Arald. He was a close friend of Drell's, and among all of the Council, he was the member least prone to criticizing Elsa's unorthodox decisions.

There was a lot of unsure glancing around the room. Arald's sentiment was not universally shared, but it was a difficult one to argue against on a basis of logic. Particularly with a progressive Queen sitting at the head of the table.

"I think I agree," replied Evangeline. "More importantly, Anna's appointment would send a powerful statement to the rest of the country. It would let them know that you are not going to be cowed even after this revolt."

Elsa nodded. "True enough. It does seem to be our best option at the moment. Are there any objections?" she turned to the rest of the Council. "I have my own reservations, but I am inclined to approve her appointment. Are there any concerns that you think have been neglected?"

No one spoke. But that didn't mean they approved. Several of the room's occupants were doing their best to hide various looks of disapproval- a certain General meeting with the least success. Yet Anna could see their resignation in their eyes.

They knew they wouldn't win this argument, not unless they had a legitimate compelling reason to object to her appointment. Simply pointing out her low birth or claiming that she couldn't be trusted would never sway Elsa. All of them had learned that a long time ago.

All of this, however, ignored if Anna herself wanted the position. And truth be told, the Knight was unsure. She would go along with whatever Elsa thought was best, of course; Anna would never undermine her Queen in such a manner. But she wasn't certain whether to be happy with this turn of events.

She did lack experience. With most of the Council's discussions, Anna would be hard pressed to contribute anything that had a semblance of being useful. The military, trade agreements, taxes...she was completely out of her depth. And no matter how many hours Anna spent trying to learn, the Knight had a feeling she always would be.

Then again, it wasn't as if they were expecting her to be useful. The primary purpose of this appointment was to send a signal to the populace that things in the capital were still running smoothly. They already had enough capable members to advise the Queen, she would just be there for show.

But there was one factor above all that influenced Anna's final opinion. She was an incredibly lucky woman. Elsa's generosity had completely changed her life. Maybe, with this appointment, Anna could help others get the same opportunities she had been given. Well, maybe not the same opportunities, but better ones than they had now.

Elsa and her parents had done a lot for the poor. Without them, Anna wouldn't have had an orphanage to grow up in. But despite their good intentions, their efforts were hobbled by the fact that they didn't fully understand the lower classes and their needs. They had an idea of what could help them, sure, and instituting the programs that they had was far better than doing nothing.

Still, maybe if she had someone advising her who really knew what poverty was like, Elsa's attempts to aid the poor would be more effective.

So when the Queen turned to face her and pronounced Anna as an official member of the Council, the Knight gave her a small smile in response.

/

Walking beside Anna as they headed for their chambers, the Queen's mouth showed the slightest hint of a smirk. Despite the dark times they now found themselves in, it was hard not to feel some satisfaction when a plan was completed flawlessly.

It was all too easy. Anna's ascension to the Castle had all been her idea, of course. Given the fact that several members still disapproved of Anna, the monarch had surmised that the proposal might go over easier if it seemingly originated from another source.

Evangeline had agreed to bring up the matter on her behalf. The spymaster had always been one of her most loyal followers, and she would never spurn her liege's request.

Additionally, Evangeline wholeheartedly supported her Queen's relationship with Anna. You wouldn't notice that just by looking at the surface, of course. The exterior the spymaster projected was that of a stern, dependable woman interested only in the stability of the realm.

But there was far more to Evangeline than an emotionless, dutiful servant...if you looked hard enough.

She knew what it was like to be in an untraditional romantic relationship. Vlora and Evangeline had never come out, but if they had, there was no doubt as to what the result would have been. The two of them had had to deal with the pressure of keeping their relationship a secret from the entire world, and they'd done it successfully for years.

There was no point in telling Anna the truth behind her appointment. It wouldn't be the end of the world if she found out, of course. But if Anna believed that she had enough support among the members of the Council for her appointment to be suggested without Elsa's prompting, perhaps it would increase her confidence when dealing with them.

And Anna had to be on the Council. For the sake of future arrangements, it was almost essential that the Knight receive a post of political authority, even if the appointment was mostly symbolic. Evangeline, to her credit, had understood that instantly.

/

The Queen was riding in her carriage, enjoying the sensation of the cold air on her skin as it blew through the open windows. Her visit to Corona had been enjoyable, but it always felt nice to return to her own country.

Particularly in the winter.

With a small thump, the carriage came to a stop. Seconds later, the door opened. Gracefully, the Queen accepted the hand of the guard below and stepped down into the snow. She looked up at the sky with a smile. It was nice to be out in the open. The night was nearly pitch black; only the crescent moon and scattered stars still gave off light.

They were currently traveling through the small city of Norgate; a two days ride still separated her from the capital. Tonight, the city's baron would host them; he possessed a sizable estate on the edge of town. He, unsurprisingly, had been eager to give the monarch and her men shelter for the night. Soon, they would be warm, well fed, and resting on soft silken sheets.

She could have flown back in a matter of hours, of course, but the monarch did not want to make a habit of leaving behind her guards.

It was tempting, sometimes. At twenty-seven years of age, the Queen had ruled Arendelle for nine years. During that entire time, never once had she been attacked or threatened. The country had been prosperous and peaceful for over a decade, and that- coupled with fear of her powers- had been enough to keep conspiracies from materializing.

Escorted by a ring of Royal Guards, Elsa walked gracefully through the grounds of Baron Scully's estate. Despite her love for the cold, she couldn't help but look forward to the satisfying sensation of a large bed, warm tea, and an engaging read.

"Mind the smell lads. Soon as you dump 'er in the water, there's an extra ration of grog for you," a man was saying.

Almost to the door of the manor, the startled Queen looked to her right. Twenty feet away, several of the baron's workers were surrounding an old wooden cart. It lacked a lid, but from this distance the monarch could not make out its contents.

A strong breeze blew through the air, carrying a strong sent towards Elsa's nose. The revolting smell that filled her nostrils was unfamiliar, but instinctively the Queen knew what it was. It was the stench of death.

"What's going on here?" Elsa asked loudly. Brushing aside her surprised guards, the Queen approached the five men surrounding the cart.

The oldest among them, an aging man with graying-brown hair, eyed her curiously. Obviously a figure of some authority in the baron's estate, he was probably not accustomed to such blatant questioning.

It took him about three seconds for his mind to register the tiara, platinum blonde hair, and ice gown. His eyes widened as he put the pieces together.

"Your Majesty!" he bowed hurriedly. "We...we've been expecting you. Welcome! Please, don't wait out in the cold on our account. The baron is eager to greet you; he's waiting in the entrance hall."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. Fighting against her curiosity, the Queen risked the urge to examine the body. She'd been hoping for a rest without nightmares.

"What is this?" she nodded to the wooden cart. "I hope Baron Scully doesn't make a tradition of disposing of the dead by dropping them into the sea. Soldier, servant, or normal citizen, everyone deserves a proper burial."

The man nodded. "O' course, Your Majesty. All o' the baron's loyal subjects are placed in the cemetery. But this woman wasn't one o' them. She was found runnin' through the upper floors, a handful of coins in 'er palm. Stolen from the baron's office. The girl was just about to make it to an open window when a guard shot 'er in the back. Happened less than an hour ago."

"She was killed?" the monarch demanded. "For a handful of coins?!" Unable to contain her curiosity now, Elsa found her eyes drawn to the open cart.

Its cargo was indeed a dead body. A young woman, clearly not even yet thirty, was strewn atop the wooden boards. The signs of a difficult life were all too apparent. More than half of the thief's fingers and toes were red and swollen...remnants of poorly healed frostbite. Her cheeks were so hallow that Elsa could easily see the bones protruding from her jaw. Worst of all was the girl's stomach...she was so thin that the Queen could actually perceive the locations of the thief's ribs from under her cloak.

Drying blood matted the girl's clothes, but it was clear that it would be only one of many stains on her thin, ripped garments. Elsa had seen prisoners with far superior clothes.

Perhaps most striking of all was the hair. It had probably been flaming red once, but the effects of malnourishment had drained it of much of its color. It was dull, dry, and fitted in nothing but two uneven pigtails.

/

"Anna!" the Queen shouted as she bolted up in her bed. Instantly, there was a flurry of movement to her right as the Knight threw off the covers and scrambled for her sword. Realizing that it was on the other side of the room, Anna settled for grabbing a pillow and holding it in front of her threateningly. With her strength, the impact would still cause significant pain.

Elsa sighed. "Calm down, Anna," she managed. "I just had a nightmare...we're fine."

It took five seconds for her Queen's words to sink in. That, in conjunction with the fact that their room was clearly free of intruders, was enough for the Knight to lower her weapon back onto the bed.

No sooner had she done so before Elsa's fingers were snatching Anna's arm, bringing the Knight's hand in front of her face. She examined the fingers tenderly, though Anna had no idea what the Queen was looking for.

"Elsa...although I don't mind you holding my hand- what's going on?" Anna questioned uncertainly.

The Queen shook her head. "Nothing, Anna. Just- let me take a look at your feet."

She laughed nervously. "My feet?" Anna questioned incredulously. "Why-"

"Please, Anna."

Unable to deny her lover, the Knight extracted her feet from beneath the bedsheets and placed them in Elsa's lap. The monarch scrutinized the smooth skin thoroughly before her lips settled into a line of satisfaction.

"Elsa..."

"Give me a moment," the Queen asked. She rose from the bed hurriedly, making her way to the bedroom's reading table. Last night, Elsa had been doing some work in the comfort of her chambers, which had required to her bring a book that contained an extensive list of the kingdom's records.

"Norgate...Norgate..." Elsa murmured as she shuffled through the pages furiously. "Here it is..." the Queen broke off as her eyes widened in shock.

Anna had had enough. "Elsa, what the hell is going on?" she demanded, rising from the bed as she spoke.

"I couldn't have known...it's not possible, I've never been there..."

"Elsa!"

That seemed to do the trick. Finally, the Queen's head turned to face Anna. "I...my dream last night," she began. "I think it was what would have happened if there was no conspiracy."

"I'm sure it was nice," Anna said wistfully. "I love living here and all, of course, but it'd been even better if I didn't have to worry about our lives constantly being under attack." Facing the possibility of death was nothing new to Anna, cold and starvation had been her constant companions for several years. But the stress of worrying about someone she loved was a new experience entirely.

Elsa's eyes fell to the floor. "It wasn't," she managed. "Not for you."

"Why wouldn't it...oh." It made sense now. If the Queen had never been attacked, then the two of them would probably have never had a second meeting. That first night would have been the only time when their paths ever crossed. Elsa, safe and unbetrayed, would have returned to the Castle, while Anna's life continued essentially unchanged.

"What did you see?" the Knight asked quietly.

Elsa shuddered noticeably. "I remember it all clearly. It was three years from now. I was visiting the city of Norgate; I was going to spend the night in the baron's estate while returning from a trip to Corona. When I got there...you had attempted to rob his offices an hour ago. I saw...they shot you in the back. By the time I arrived, you were long dead."

Anna suppressed a shiver of discomfort. This scenario seemed terrifyingly plausible, but (with great effort) she suppressed her questions and allowed her Queen to continue.

"You were wearing that same thin cloak from when we first met; it was little better than a stained rag. You were so thin...it looked as if you hadn't eaten in months. Most of your fingers and toes were scarred by frostbite."

Memories of sleepless winter nights spent in alleyways flashed into Anna's mind. Oh, how she remembered. Sometimes her hands and feet had been so cold that she could have sworn that they had turned into ice. The thief had been lucky and careful enough to narrowly avoid frostbite during her time on the streets, but it was very likely that she would have suffered from the condition before long.

Wordlessly, Anna moved over to Elsa. Gently, she stepped behind the Queen's back and soothingly rubbed her shoulders. "I guess that's why you were looking at them earlier," she noted with a short laugh. "But it was just a dream. I'm warm, safe, and have food in my belly. Though I wouldn't say no to a little breakfast," she tried to lighten the mood.

The Queen sighed. "I don't think so, Anna."

"Why?" the Knight asked curiously. "The kitchens will be up and running by now. Some ham would be nice."

Elsa turned around, taking Anna's hands into her own. "Not that, Anna. I don't think...it might not have been a dream. It was...something else."

The Knight stared at her incredulously. "Why-"

"I remember it with perfect clarity. I've never had a dream that's felt so real. But the most important thing...the baron's name, Anna," Elsa began.

"What about it?"

The Queen grimaced. "I've never been to Norgate. It's a small city that, frankly, hasn't warranted my personal attention. I'm aware of it, of course, and I keep an eye on its affairs like I do with the rest of the country. But I've never been there. And more importantly, I've never had reason to learn the name of its baron. I didn't know it until right now."

Anna's eyes widened. "You mean-" she gestured towards the record book.

"Yes," Elsa said empathically. "The name of the baron in my dream- Scully -is the same as the one in real life. How could I have known that?"

"Maybe you just saw it somewhere but never really thought about it," Anna offered.

The Queen shook her head slightly. "Perhaps, but I don't think so. I have an excellent memory, Anna. I think I would remember if I'd seen his name before. He's not important enough to be invited to most Castle functions, and even if he was on a guest list- it only lists names, not their titles. Of course, I would believe that I had seen his name somewhere, if I didn't live in a world where I can shoot ice from my hands."

"I suppose it's possible..." Anna admitted. In a world where she and her two closest friends could wield magic on a whim, maybe having visions wasn't out of the question. Sometimes, the Knight wondered if she didn't have the same ability.

Elsa sighed. "I'm going to make sure. I know for a fact that I've never been to Norgate. Tomorrow night, I'm going to fly over there and take a look around. It's not far; I'll be back before first light. If what I see matches perfectly with my dream..."

"Okay," Anna agreed. Pabbie's magic protected her from locator spells, and no one but herself would have the slightest idea that she was out of the Castle. "But then the question is, what did you see? A vision, maybe, but of what?"

"Not the future," Elsa said firmly. "It couldn't have been, because-"

"There's no way I'll ever starve, get frostbite, and go back to thieving. Unless you kick me out," she added lightly.

The Queen sent her a dark glare. Don't make jokes like that, it said.

"Well," Anna began with a sudden, grateful smile. "If it was a vision of what would have happened without a conspiracy, it just shows that I was right. You did save my life." Grabbing the silent monarch gently by the arms, she guided Elsa back into their bed and snuggled into her arms.

Unconsciously, she wiggled her toes, smiling as she enjoyed the sensation of her smooth, unmarred flesh rubbing against the soft sheets. Anna had seen the results of frostbite, and she was glad she would never experience it personally.

"You didn't even know me," Elsa said softly, her arms now wrapped around Anna. "I'd given you three coins- nothing to me. And you risked your life to save me...you didn't even think you'd succeed. You were willing to face death just for the smallest chance of saving me."

Anna frowned. "True," she agreed. "And you saved me, remember? That vision would have been my fate if you hadn't invited me in."

"I didn't save you. Not at first. I let you go back out into the world with no money, no family, no skills...you were doomed." Anna opened her mouth to interrupt, but the Queen continued forcefully. "If I hadn't been attacked the next day, we never would have met again. You would have died. I could have saved you that first night. I should have. Why didn't I give you the entire bag of coins? Gods…I should have moved you into the Castle then and there! Monarchs taking wards isn't unheard of."

Anna could feel the guilt radiating from the Queen. "But without you, I'd have-"

"I know," Elsa replied. "I did save you, eventually. But I should have done it immediately. Anna, you're so amazing and you don't even realize it. You were willing to give up everything to rescue a virtual stranger. Compared to me...I turned my back on you when it would have cost me nothing to help you. It was only after I owed you everything that I deigned to give you a hand!"

"You let me go...you could have executed me," Anna pointed out. "You even gave me some money. That's a lot more than nearly anyone else would have done."

Elsa dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Probably. But that doesn't mean I did the right thing. Don't you understand, Anna? In the back of my mind, I knew I could have done more for you. But I was worried that doing so would be awkward...open me up to criticism. If not for the slimmest of chances, that fear would have killed you, Anna."

The Knight stared at her. Here was a woman who she exalted above all others. A Queen whose compassion, wisdom, and grace served as the pinnacle of perfection in Anna's mind. Now, Elsa was comparing the two of them, and describing herself as by far the lesser of the two.

And Anna couldn't find the words to rebut her. Elsa did have a point, she realized, even though the Queen was being far harder on herself than was fair. She could have saved Anna that first night. But given the mercy Elsa had shown her and all that had passed between them since, the Knight found it impossible to hold any resentment for her lover.

She hugged Elsa tighter, bringing the Queen into her chest. "No one's perfect, Elsa. None of that matters now. We've saved each other more than once, and I know you'd do anything for me."

Elsa didn't respond. For over an hour, the two women simply laid there, both at a loss for words.


	55. Chapter 55

It was two months before Elsa let her visit Kristoff. Given recent events, the Queen was loath to let Anna take the risk- even with Pabbie's magic protecting them from hostile locator spells.

Unknown to anyone but Anna herself, Elsa had indeed taken the chance to fly off to Norgate the first night following her 'dream'. And she had found exactly what she was looking for.

The city- and the baron's estate- looked exactly like Elsa's nightmare. And the Queen was certain she had never been there once in her entire life. That could only mean one thing.

"Is it really such a big deal, Elsa?" Anna had questioned after her return. "That vision can never come to pass. I mean, it's cool and all that you can see possible futures...well not cool that you saw that one, but...is it anything to worry about?"

"Maybe not," Elsa acknowledged. "Although I doubt I'll ever get over seeing you..." she broke off hurriedly. "But doesn't it make you wonder? Whatever that vision was, it was more than just a normal dream. All of the other humans we've seen with magic, as well as all of those documented in history, possessed only one ability. Ice is my main power yes, but I can also heal. Somehow I gave you magic. And now I'm seeing possible futures...once possible futures, anyway. Why am I different?"

To that, Anna had no answer. But she trusted Elsa's belief that her vision had been their possible future. The thought of lying in a wooden cart, ruined by starvation and frostbite, made her shiver whenever it drifted into her mind.

Forget five or ten years! If she hadn't met Elsa, Anna apparently would have been dead within three. And it didn't seem like it had been a quick and painless end. The realization created another rush of gratitude for her Queen, but it also brought upon another uncomfortable epiphany.

This conspiracy had been good for Anna. Despite torturing, scarring, and damn near killing her, the Knight was alive because they had acted. Without their attempts on the Queen's life, Anna would have barely more than two years to live.

What had been best for Anna had also resulted in the deaths of dozens, the murder of Elsa's father figure, and a near toppling of the Queen's power. It was a horrible thought, and one Anna did her best not to dwell on.

Elsa had been even more disturbed by her vision. Dreaming about Anna's death would have been painful enough, but perceiving it so clearly...and knowing that it had been all too possible, was ten times worse. Consequently, when the Knight continually beseeched her to visit Kristoff, the Queen was reluctant.

\

"You flew off to Norgate in the middle of the night!" Anna had protested. "I didn't try to stop you!"

Elsa frowned. "That was different. It was quick and under cover of darkness, and I was speeding through the air the entire time. Even if our enemies knew what I was doing, they could never have caught me. You, on the other hand, will be walking through the city in broad daylight for hours."

"So? Don't tell anyone I'm going; Pabbie's Magic will do the rest. I'll change my hairstyle and wear a cloak when I'm outside. Please, Elsa."

The Queen's lips settled into a neutral expression. "Don't tell me you're in love with him," she said. "Because I won't be giving you my royal blessing to marry him.

"Of course not! I don't even like men! I'm just-" Anna broke off as she realized Elsa had just been pulling her leg. "Look," she sighed. "He's a good friend. We went through a lot together, and it was while he was helping me that he lost Sven. Now he's starting up a business on his own; I just want to make sure he's doing all right. He's not the kind of person to ask for help, even if he needs it. After what happened, I kinda feel responsible for him." She paused. "And why would I need your blessing?"

Elsa's hand came up to cover a ghost of a smile. "I'm your liege, Anna. Remember? To be official in the eyes of the law, any marriage you enter into would need my seal of approval. So for your sake I hope you weren't planning on proposing to one of the kitchen maids."

The Knight swatted Elsa's arm playfully, but the Queen's words had filled her with a distinct joy. It was the first real attempt at humor on Elsa's part since Kai's death. No one would have been happier to see the Queen recover than the seneschal himself.

"So, when..."

"Soon, Anna," Elsa promised. "Just wait until everything's calmed down a bit. And I swear to the gods, if you go without my permission..."

\

It had been tempting. But after what had happened the last time she had left the Castle without royal clearance, Anna had enough humility to admit that Elsa probably had a point.

And so she waited. Life in the Palace continued on as usual. Replacements were brought on for Kai and Gerda, though they did not assume all of the tasks left by the married couple that had preceded them. They were loyal and capable enough, but both rather distant; neither could fully step into the shoes of their predecessors. But with Kai gone and Gerda on mandatory leave, they didn't have much choice.

Anna did her best to adapt to being a Council member. As she'd expected, there wasn't much for her to contribute. Usually.

One meeting had made it all worthwhile. A few weeks after the assault on the Castle, the Council had been discussing the budget for the next year. The levels of taxes and spending had been agreed upon after an arduous debate, but Elsa had one last proposal before signing the document in front of her.

\

"This is a matter that has come to my attention over the course of the last year, the Queen was saying. "Arendelle has an orphanage in every major city, and all reports say that, together, they contain enough room for all of the country's homeless children. Our current level of expenses to the program likewise provides adequate food and living necessities for their occupants."

Lord Arald frowned. "Then...what is the problem, Your Majesty?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"The problem is that the orphanages turn out their charges at the age of sixteen. That is simply too young. Sixteen may be the marrying age in Arendelle, but that doesn't mean that everyone is ready to strike out on their own once they reach their sixteenth birthday. I plan on raising the age cap to nineteen. That will give out country's disadvantaged children more time to mature and develop their skills...and keep them out of trouble."

Everyone in the room was staring at Anna. It was hard to argue the Queen's presumptions when a textbook example of a child turned out early was standing right in front of them. But that didn't mean there weren't protests.

"An admirable goal, Your Majesty," a Lady noted. "But such a change would be a significant burden on our treasury. How do you plan on paying for the shortfall?"

Elsa smiled. "We have recently come into possession of several fortunes. I can see no better use for the money confiscated from the traitors' vaults than a program that will better Arendelle as a whole. It will be more than enough to pay for the first few years. If the budget conditions are the same when those funds have run out, we'll look at other options."

For a few moments, no one spoke. Anna sensed that several of them had ideas on where that money would be better spent. Seeing the resolute look on their Queen's face, however, was enough to silence their complaints.

"I think it is an excellent idea, Your Majesty," Lord Arald offered. "However, I do have one objection. As you pointed out, the marrying age in Arendelle is sixteen. By that age, many of the children in our orphanages may well have found someone they intend to marry...or a job that they find suitable. I think it would be unwise to force them to remain in an orphanage until they turn nineteen. I propose that the age at which children may leave remain at sixteen, with the next three entirely up to the child's own choice."

Elsa's lips pursed thoughtfully. "Agreed," she said at last. "I'll have my scribes edit the proposal accordingly. If no one has any other objections, I will have this new program inserted into the budget, and will sign it tomorrow."

The complaint came from the last person anyone would expect.

"I have an objection...Your Majesty," Anna offered tentatively.

Her eyebrows rising in curiosity, Elsa turned to face the Knight. "Yes, Lady Anna? Explain."

Anna bit her lip in nervousness, but through sheer force of will she forced herself to continue. The entire Council glaring at her at once didn't make it any easier.

"The idea is good, but I think it could be executed better," she began, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I mean...you said we should extend the age cap to give children more time to develop. But if we just, uh, leave them in there for three more years, that might not do much."

Evangeline nodded. "What do you suggest, Lady Anna?"

"Training programs. The orphanages teach children to read and write, and that's very useful. But in later years, we didn't learn so much. If you could institute a system where orphans begin learning how to work...it doesn't have to be anything glamorous. Waitressing, smithing, record keeping. Those sorts of things. Maybe even some combat training for those who want a career in law keeping or the military. You could start at thirteen."

"Do you have any idea how expensive that would be?" Lady Catherine blanched. "Extending the age cap by three years and paying for six years of training? It's too much."

Anna's face went bright red under the older woman's glare, but she kept her voice calm. "Then just extend the age cap by one year, and train them until they're seventeen. That would do them a lot more good in the long run."

A light cough sounded from the Queen's lips, instantly turning the entire room's attention over to her. She glanced at Anna, her eyes glistening with approval.

"We can do both. I'm instituting an additional one percent surcharge on the transfer of noble estates. Once the confiscated fortunes are depleted, that number can rise to two percent," Elsa said.

"Your Majesty, that would cripple our-"

"No, it wouldn't. I'm asking those with the most to sacrifice a small portion of their wealth for the benefit of Arendelle. I will do the same. The fortunes confiscated by the traitors are by rights mine; I am choosing to give them away. And I am confident that the nobility will accept the chance to demonstrate their loyalty to Arendelle," the Queen proclaimed. The veiled implication was all too clear.

After no one spoke up for the next five seconds, Elsa raised her voice once again. "Good. I will see to the details myself. Thank you all for attending; meeting adjourned."

It would take some time to know the results, of course, but Anna was relatively confident that the initiative would be a success. It certainly could have helped her...probably. If she wasn't so clumsy with anything that wasn't a sword.

/

Elsa wasn't sure what she was enjoying more: the feeling of Anna's hands as they massaged her back, or the sensual bliss that arose in her mouth as their tongues danced fiercely.

She was nothing before this woman. Every single action on Anna's part sent a shiver of pleasure down the Queen's spine. Elsa did her best to return the favor, and judging by the quiet moans that constantly sounded from the Knight's lips, she was succeeding to an extent. But there was no question of which of the two women was getting the better end of the deal.

They were lying together in Elsa's...in their bed. It had been a long day, and neither of them really had the energy for a wild night of passion. Instead, they were interlocked in an intimate, comfortable kiss as they laid beside one another on top of the sheets. Each was clad in a thin nightgown, which did little to quell Elsa's arousal as their legs intertwined.

As close as they were, it wasn't enough for the Queen to be satisfied. She deepened the kiss, at the same time tightening the grip of her ankles around Anna's legs and pulling the younger woman even nearer. Now, their chests were touching...even as their foreheads continued to press against one other.

In the weeks since they'd first made love, Elsa had gained confidence. Intimacy no longer frightened her. But she still had a lot to learn, and there were many aspects of sex that she was simply unsure about. Thankfully, Anna was a more than willing teacher.

The younger woman had experience, passion, and (most importantly) a creative and overactive imagination. And as Elsa became more comfortable with the intricacies of intimacy, Anna continued to instruct her Queen in the advanced arts of making love. Now that she was certain that Elsa wasn't going to be frightened off when the boundaries were pushed, Anna had taken it upon herself to introduce the Queen to every possible way of bringing pleasure.

Knowing what she did now, Elsa had realized just how easily Anna had gone on her during their first time. The Knight had simply shrugged.

"So? It was still amazing. Being with you is better than being with any of the woman I've ever slept with. You actually care about me; all I ever was to my previous partners was a cheap thrill. And you're getting a lot better!" The Knight's face paled. "Not that you were bad to begin with!" Anna added hastily. "I mean..." she broke off as Elsa interrupted her with a kiss.

For her part, Anna had confessed that her time with previous partners made her feel...unclean. Strangely, it didn't really bother the Queen. Oh, if another woman so much as smiled at the Knight now...that would be enough to put Elsa on edge. But she didn't blame Anna for having taken her enjoyment where she could get it. In fact, she felt sorry for her.

She couldn't fathom a woman heartless (and stupid) enough to kick Anna to the curb after a single night of passion. But the Queen would do everything in her power to make up for the heartbreak her lover had endured.

Elsa was determined to treat Anna like...well, like a Queen. The younger woman didn't deserve anything less. As her eyes indulged themselves by roaming over the figure of the Knight she held in her arms, a fierce protective instinct flared in Elsa's chest. Anna had been deprived, brutalized, and tossed aside by the world for nearly twenty years. But as long as the Queen's heart was still beating, it would never happen again.

The monarch knew how lucky she was. Others believed that Anna was the fortunate one, gaining wealth and safety thanks to her conquest of the Queen's heart. Perhaps, that in and of itself was true.

Yet they were wrong. The way the gossip circulated, a listener would gain the impression that Anna was an unworthy lover who had wormed her way into a superior's affections. The opposite was true. Elsa possessed more money, power, and intelligence than most could ever hope to attain. But the Knight now resting in her arms was comprised of such compassion, bravery, and selflessness...there wasn't a person in the world that Anna was unworthy of.

A year ago, the Queen had had one purpose in life: serve and protect the people of Arendelle. Now, she had two. Whatever it took, she would give Anna the happiness she deserved. Elsa would love her, protect her, spoil her; she'd give Anna the world if only she asked. The Queen would make her Knight happy, no matter the cost.

And unfortunately, that would mean letting her visit the city for a few hours.

\

Anna rode swiftly across the Castle grounds. Bearing her weight was Stroud, a magnificent white Stallion. Luckily, there were plenty of horses in the stables that were white, and with her cloak up, the odds were good that the sentries wouldn't recognize her. As far as they and the rest of the Castle were aware, Anna was currently confined to her chambers by a mild yet contagious variety of fever.

Given without occasion or ceremony, Stroud had been a gift from Elsa...a present simply for 'being Anna.' He was a fine beast, more than fast enough for her liking yet tame enough for her inexperienced hands to control. She'd thanked her Queen thoroughly for the gift, of course.

Usually, she could only ride him around the Castle grounds, but that was still plenty of room to run. Anna loved the thrill of air whipping by her cheeks as they rocketed over the grass. The Knight had pushed her luck too far once or twice, the end result being her losing her perch on the horse and falling to the ground. While anyone else would have suffered broken bones and severe bruising, however, Anna was only slightly winded at worst. There were definite perks of possessing magic.

She was glad that Elsa had made her wear her cloak. It was only two months after the summer solstice, but already a winter chill was in the air. Thanks to its proximity to the northern pole, Arendelle was known for its short, mild summers. And summer was already over.

It would be less than forty degrees tonight. And with the way temperatures were declining, Anna wouldn't be surprised if their first blizzard was next week. For a winter storm to take place that early was unusual for Arendelle, but not unheard of.

Elsa would be happy.

Making her way through the walls and into the city, Anna found her way to Kristoff's address easily. On the Queen's insistence, she had made certain to memorize the route perfectly. Thus, less than twenty minutes after leaving the Castle, the Knight had arrived at her destination.

It was a medium-sized building at the edge of the city, made of logs rather than stone. It was functional enough, but nothing impressive. Of course, it didn't have to be. The vast majority of the ice harvesting process took place in the wilds. Kristoff would only need a small office, a holding area for his sleds, and a few employees to serve at his headquarters.

She knocked eagerly.

To her surprise, the door opened to reveal not an employee, but Kristoff himself. The ice harvester had no time to even begin a greeting before Anna had crossed the door's threshold and clamped him in a friendly embrace.

"...Nice to see you too," he managed with a grunt of pain. "Please don't break my ribs."

Smiling meekly, the Knight stepped back to observe him. His clothes had definitely improved from when she had seen him last...and so had his smell. Living indoors for a few months could do wonders, she thought.

A twinge of uncertainty entered Anna's mind as her eyes roamed the rest of the building. "Where is everyone?" she questioned. "I mean, I'm not an expert or anything, but doesn't the ice harvesting season start soon? Shouldn't you have workers preparing..."

"There's no point," Kristoff stopped her gruffly. "I'm pretty sure this season is going to be a bust. I can't get a permit to establish my business, at least not right now. I'll probably have to hold out and wait until next year."

"What? Why?" Anna demanded.

Her friend shook his head. "Politics. The manager at the permit office, Drexel is his name, is close friends with the head of Arendelle Ice Corp, my main potential competitor. I did a bit of research; it wasn't hard to find out. I'm almost sure he's blocking my permit just to keep the market open. He refuses to even meet with me."

Anna stared at him incredulously. "There's no way that's legal!" she exclaimed. "This manager, there's got to be people above him, right? Or can't you just go through the courts somehow?" It seemed impossible that one simple bureaucrat could wield so much power.

"It's not," Kristoff agreed. "And I have filed a complaint. Don't worry; I'll get my permit eventually. He knows he can't block me forever; all he wants is to give his friend a monopoly for one more year...and more time to prepare for competition. And the whole damn process is slow enough that I'll be stalled for six months."

Anna's eyes hardened. Corruption of any kind filled her mouth with a bitter taste, even when it wasn't targeting a friend. It was a little hypocritical, she knew, given her own criminal past, but at least she had never deliberately hurt someone else. Stealing three coins from a noble was a lot less damaging than depriving an ice harvester of an entire season.

"No you're not. Come on!" she declared. Grabbing Kristoff by the sleeve, the Knight easily yanked him outside the building.

"Where are we going?" he questioned as Anna began to all but drag him down the road.

"The permit office. Drexel and I are going to have a little talk," she declared. Anna stared at Kristoff, her eyes daring him to tell her to back down. She could see the indecision in his own pupils. The ice harvester liked to rely on himself, she knew. He was never too keen on handouts.

Anna smiled. "It's no problem," she assured him. "I'm just doing a favor for a friend. And honestly, I think I'm going to enjoy this."

\

After convincing Anna to stop dragging him down the street, Kristoff had settled into an easy walking pace beside the Knight. Even though he didn't exactly think of himself as a people person, Kristoff could perceive the eagerness radiating from Anna. She would do this with or without him, he knew. And, he admitted to himself, part of him would enjoy seeing someone put Drexel in his place.

That wasn't to say he didn't feel uneasy about the whole situation. Kristoff had never been keen on asking others for help. Having others do his work for him made the him feel...weak. After all the effort he had put into becoming an ice harvester (and having been given a more than adequate upraising by the trolls) he instinctively felt that he had no right to ask others for donations.

His eyes swung to Anna. Evidently, she did not have the same compunctions. The fine clothes and jewelry she wore, as well as the horse she'd left tethered at his office, were obviously gifts from the Queen. Kristoff had accepted Elsa's reward only after coming to view it as a loan and promising himself to one day pay her back in full. He would never be able to swallow his pride and simply accept a life of luxury with no strings attached.

Not that Anna didn't deserve it, he thought to himself. She could hardly be blamed for accepting Elsa's generosity, given her background. At least Kristoff had always had food on his table.

Then, an ugly thought crept into his mind.

"How are things between you and the Queen?" he asked, doing his best to keep his tone casual.

Anna turned around to face him, her expression indecisive. "That depends on what you mean, exactly. If you're asking how both of us are doing...it's a struggle. Elsa is still mourning Kai, and I'm recovering from...Lucrania. But our relationship is going great. We're both stressed out, but we still manage to spend some time having fun together. Although I still suck at chess..."

Kristoff frowned. He'd always had a natural distrust of those in power. From what he had seen of Queen Elsa, she was a fine woman and able ruler. Yet that did not mean that he had complete faith in her benevolent personality. She'd rescued Anna from David's clutches and given him a healthy sum as a reward for assisting her. All positives. But they didn't mean that Elsa was a good partner for Anna.

There was always a chance the Queen was just using the former thief, either for her skills or simply her looks. From what he'd heard, rescuing Anna from David's castle had been easy for the monarch, and giving him a reward could have simply been a way to further manipulate Anna into her service.

Kristoff did not think that was the case. He remembered the despair and panic in Elsa's eyes the day she had come begging Pabbie for assistance in saving her consort. Yet he had to be sure; the potential for abuse was too great. Even though he hadn't known her long, he had grown fond of the Knight who now walked beside him. She was brave, loyal to a fault, and even pleasant to be around...in a somewhat annoying way, of course

"That's good," he replied. "But how is she treating you?"

Anna frowned. "Uh, have you seen what I'm wearing?" she gestured to her silken clothes, as well as the diamond necklace hanging around her neck.

"Not what I meant," he sighed.

The Knight eyed him curiously as they continued to walk through the streets. "What are you getting at?" she asked suspiciously.

"Look, I know she's making sure you're taken care of, money wise. But I want to be sure that's she's treating you right. Not just with titles or fancy gifts..."

The Knight stopped in her tracks, turning to glare at Kristoff with fury in her eyes. Suddenly, the ice harvester was glad they were the only ones on this street at the moment.

"Of course she's treating me right! She does everything she can to make me happy...she loves me so much. I can't believe how lucky I am that I have her! You know that! She risked her life to save me, remember?"

Kristoff nodded, raising his hands in a placating manner. "I just wanted to be sure. There's a lot that could go wrong here. Elsa's the Queen. She has total power over you, whether she uses it or not. You depend on her for pretty much everything. And she's the first person you've ever fallen in love with, and the first person you believe has ever loved you." He paused. "See where I'm going with this? I just...I don't want you to get hurt."

Anna's eyes softened a fraction of a degree. "I have been hurt. Over six women I thought I had fallen for scorned me. But Elsa's different! What I feel for her...nothing before was even close. I know I've invested my heart and soul into this relationship, and it doesn't matter! She can seem distant at times, but if you get to know you'll see that she's kind and sweet and caring. I love her and she loves me...she would never hurt me."

Kristoff believed it.


	56. Chapter 56

They didn't say much after that. Kristoff seemed satisfied enough with her answer, and Anna was a little too angry at the moment to initiate another conversation with the ice-harvester.

She knew he meant well. Anna did her best to remind herself that Kristoff didn't know Elsa nearly as well as she did. Still, any insult to her Queen, innocent or not, was enough to put the Knight in a sour mood.

Anna did understand where he was coming from. Elsa, as her liege, had total authority over her. Furthermore, the Knight knew just how much she had invested into this relationship. Elsa was pretty much her...everything at this point. If she lost the Queen, Anna knew she would crumble.

But it didn't matter. She wasn't going to lose Elsa. The Queen loved Anna just as much as Anna loved her. The only thing that would separate them is death. And as long as the conspiracy didn't get its way, that wouldn't happen for a very long time.

/

They stepped inside. It was a rather large building, which was to be expected. This was more than just a permit office; it was the city government's Eastern Center of Economic Regulations. In other words, it handled the tax collection and regulation of nearly half of the capital city's businesses.

Anna and Kristoff moved into the lobby. The room was large; its floor was the color of gold, reflecting the light from the candles hanging on the walls. At the far end of the room, beyond which was a door that probably led to a myriad of inner offices, was a wide counter. Three secretaries were sitting there, and two of them were currently talking with other visitors. Five city guards stood watch throughout the room, stationed beside its empty walls.

The Knight made her way to the only unoccupied secretary, a woman roughly thirty years of age. Her hair was blond, though not nearly as light as Elsa's, and her large red lips were spreading out into a slight smile.

"Hi," she greeted as Anna approached. "Can I help you, miss?"

Anna nodded, returning the smile. Her animosity was reserved for Drexel, not his employees. "Yes. I'd like to speak with your manager...if he's around. His name is Drexel, right?'

The secretary frowned. "I'm sorry, miss. Mr. Drexel is currently busy, and he doesn't usually make it a habit of speaking with visitors. You'll have to make an appointment for sometime next month. Are you sure it's anything I couldn't help you with?"

Shaking her head, Anna allowed the smile to drop from her face. "Look, I'm sorry, but this is really important. I need to speak with him...today."

"I'm sorry, miss, but he is unavailable," the secretary replied, her voice harder now. "If you leave your name with me I can tell him you were looking for him." She looked at Anna expectantly.

The Knight took a breath. "I'm...Lady Anna. Knight of Arendelle, member of the Royal Council, and personal attendant to Queen Elsa." Anna knew that while no portraits of her visage had ever been made, the physical appearance of a woman courting the Queen must be public knowledge. Her blond streak, the scar on her cheek, and the sword she carried would be enough to convince most of her identity.

A gasp sounded from the secretary. Her face turned stark white. She looked around, panic and indecision plain on her face.

"My...my apologies, milady. I'll fetch Drexel straight away!" Hurriedly rising from her chair, she bowed briefly before disappearing through the door behind her.

Anna did her best not to smile. She didn't enjoy intimidating a young woman who was only doing her job. Yet she couldn't deny a certain degree of satisfaction in using her position to get Drexel off his ass.

The door opened to admit the secretary and a short, middle-aged man. His hair was graying, but it retained a few prominent streaks of black. His stocky frame hinted at a past as a warrior, but time seemed to have atrophied his fitness.

To her surprise, he showed almost no surprise at being face to face with such a...notable figure.

"Ah, Arendelle's most successful gold digger and the upstart ice harvester. And what can I do for such fine young people?"

Anna scowled. "What you're going to do is give Kristoff the permit he deserves and let him compete with your friend fairly."

Drexel smirked. "No, I don't think I will. You may outrank me, but you're not in my chain of command. You have no legal right to order me around anymore than he does. So get out of my building."

"Maybe I don't," Anna agreed. "But Queen Elsa does. I tell her what you're doing and she'll come down on you like an avalanche. Save us both the trouble and write the permit."

"Really?" Drexel snarled. "You honestly expect me to believe that Her Majesty would discipline an important official simply because her pet asked her to? Please. You may be smitten but it's obvious to the rest of the world that you're just her toy. Your looks are worth enough of her time that she'll give you a room, but I doubt they're enough for her to take action against me."

The Knight scowled. The events in Lucrania were not exactly common knowledge, and so the fact that Elsa had rescued her from hell wasn't known by everyone. So people living outside the Castle could perhaps be forgiven for not completely believing that she and Elsa were in love.

To simply assume that she meant nothing to Elsa, however, was just plain stupid. And honestly, Anna was getting tired of it.

"Fine. You could just write the permit now and let that be the end of it. But I tell the Queen and she'll probably fire you for corruption," she threatened.

Drexel glared at her. "I'll take my chances. You think I'm afraid of you? You may think you're better than the workers in this city because the Queen dolled you up and handed you a title. But nothing can ever change the fact that you're a lazy street rat who was handed everything because the Queen enjoys fucking her. Yet you have the gall to walk in here and act like you're better than me? Someone who's worked their entire life to scrape out a living?"

Anna sighed. She didn't want to get Elsa involved in this; the Queen had enough on her place as it was. But she would if she had to. It wouldn't take Elsa that long to deal with, and the monarch hated corruption as much as Anna did. That, coupled with the Knight's pleading, would certainly be enough to convince Elsa to take action against him.

/

"Don't worry, Kristoff. The Queen won't let this stand. Once I get back to the Castle and tell her what's going on, you'll have your permit within days! And Drexel will probably be out of a job," she promised as they walked back.

The ice harvester frowned. Anna knew why. It wasn't out of any sympathy for Drexel; it was reluctance to have the Queen intervene on his behalf. Smiling, the Knight tried another tack.

"It's not just for you, Kristoff. Even if it didn't involve anyone we know, Elsa would want me to tell her about this. There's no way she would ever tolerate this kind of corruption, no matter who's involved. She's a stickler when it comes to fairness under the law," Anna promised.

Kristoff nodded.

That matter settled, the two of them returned to his office. They spent several hours catching up with one another. Anna learned more about the business of ice-harvesting than she had ever dreamed she would. Even to her inexperienced mind, his plan seemed quite remarkable. Thanks to his experience in the field, he knew what he was doing. Once he got his permit, Anna was confident that his business would be more than successful.

Harder to deal with were the ice harvester's own questions. He was curious; the general populace knew the basics of the horrifying events that had occurred in the Castle two months ago, but the details were a mystery to them. And unfortunately, Kristoff didn't have the people skills to notice when specific topics made her comfortable.

First she described the disaster that had been her Knighting ceremony, as well as the resultant political fallout. Then Anna moved onto the capture of Jocasta, mentioning briefly (and downplaying) her visit to the dungeon. She did, however, admit to Kristoff that she was having difficultly recovery from her time in the interrogator's hands.

"Then, when we finally had a breakthrough...someone poisoned her. The night of the attack, I woke up seconds before men with crossbows entered our room and tried to shoot us in our sleep. My reflexes saved both our lives...but a minute into fighting I had a panic attack. When I woke up, Elsa was holding me in her arms and crying. Kai was just...gone," Anna managed.

Kristoff winced in sympathy. "It wasn't your fault," he said, and Anna nodded glumly.

"That's what everyone keeps saying," the Knight replied. "But I guess that's not even the important part. What is important is that when and if we're attacked again, I go off into la-la land for a second time. Elsa could lose her life because I can't control my own mind!"

Strangely, the ice harvester nodded thoughtfully.

"...What?" Anna asked uncertainly.

A light sigh entered the air as Kristoff seemed to come to a decision. "I might know a way to help you," he revealed. "Or, at least, Pabbie might know. His magic can rid people of unwanted memories-"

"Wow," Anna gasped. If that was true, then she could forget that any of her torture had ever happened. It would be hard to have visions of her time with Jocasta if she couldn't even remember what the interrogator looked like...let alone what had happened during their time together. Her heart began to race with excitement.

"It's a skill that he doesn't like using; he brushes me off whenever I ask about it," Krisotff cautioned. "There's always a catch when it comes to this shit," he said glumly. "But he might just be able to help you."

\

"You've been unusually quite tonight," Elsa teased lightly as she moved her checker forward. "Something on your mind, dear? I thought you said your visit went fine? If you're worried about Drexel, don't. I'll deal with him tomorrow," the Queen smirked.

"Uh, well..." Anna said awkwardly. She'd been trying to find a painless way to bring the matter up with Elsa as soon as possible. If she wanted to lose her memories, one of them would need to make a visit to the trolls. As she was capable of traveling far faster (and safer) than her Knight could, the Queen was the only logical choice.

Elsa could make the trip in less than two days. Yet even one was still a lot of time for the Queen. It wouldn't be easy for her to blow off thirty-six hours' worth of meetings using some made-up excuse (even the Council wasn't trusted with knowledge of the trolls' existence.) Anna felt guilty just for asking her.

"No, just...thinking," the Knight muttered, biting your lip. It was a reasonable excuse. Elsa's skill in checkers had developed to the point where the monarch was more than capable of winning if Anna wasn't careful. Sadly, the same could not be said about the Knight herself and chess.

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "Dear, you're not a good liar. And as cute as it is when you bite your lip," she smiled reassuringly at Anna, "Please, just tell me what's on your mind."

Anna sighed. This would have to be done sooner than later, and there was no better time than the present. If it were just Anna's peace of mind at stake, the Knight would have at least waited until the Queen didn't have the matter of a conspiracy to deal with before asking her to fly across the country. But far more was at risk than that. Elsa could live or die depending on how ready Anna was for the next attack, and nothing was more important than the Queen's safety.

"Kristoff told me that the trolls have magic that can get rid of memories. We'd both be safer if I forgot all about my time with Jocasta. It'd be impossible for me to have flashbacks anymore, and I would actually be able to protect you during the next attack," Anna revealed.

Elsa frowned skeptically. "And how would that work, exactly?"

"I'd lose all direct recollection of the time period I chose. Which would be from when we arrived at the inn in Corona where were attacked to when I woke up in the Coronan Palace. I would still know what happened, since I'd remember talking about it later, and I'd know that I lost my memories. But I wouldn't be able to recall anything that happened with Jocasta," she said.

In truth, Anna was leaving out the part where Kristoff had mentioned that Pabbie was hesitant from using this kind of magic. The Knight didn't want to discourage Elsa from going, and if it was anything serious, Pabbie could tell the Queen himself.

The Queen's eyes shined with cautious optimism. "Maybe it could work," she said hopefully. "But magic has a habit of coming with a price, at least from what I've read in stories," Elsa noted.

"Really?" Anna questioned. "It doesn't cost you, me, or Rapunzel anything when we use our abilities. There's no price to be paid when it comes to our magic."

Elsa's lips curved upwards into a sad smile. "Isn't there? We can use our abilities on command without sacrificing anything directly, yes. But all three of us have had to go through hell; you and I still might not have seen the end of it. In both history and fairy tales, no one with magic has had an easy life. Some find their happy endings, but it's always a struggle."

Anna said nothing.

"If it gives us a chance to help you, I'll go," the Queen promised. "Next week I should be able to clear two days out of my schedule. Oh, don't give me that look Anna," she said upon seeing the surprise mounted upon the Knight's face. "We both know that I'm the one who has to go."

The Knight nodded in reluctant agreement. "I'm sorry for asking, but-"

"Don't be. As you've probably considered, this could help keep both of us safe. More importantly, it'll help give you peace of mind. I just...don't get your hopes up too soon, Anna. We don't know enough about this to be sure it will work," Elsa cautioned.

Anna nodded. "I appreciate it, no matter what happens."

Suddenly, the Queen smirked. "Besides, perhaps this will help alleviate my guilt for finally beating you in checkers."

"You haven't-"

Elsa moved her checker out of the single corner, forcing the Knight to jump it with her nearby piece. It landed in the King's row, thus becoming a King but ending its turn. The Queen then moved another piece out of her back row, requiring Anna's King to jump and land in front of a row of two checkers backed into Elsa's double corner.

Completing the inside-out shot, Elsa jumped Anna's piece and the two that were lined up behind it, triple-jumping the Knight and leaving her with a dominant position.

Anna bristled as she stared at the result. For the first time, she had lost. Losing at chess was one thing, but being defeated at the game she had loved since a child was another thing entirely. If it had been anyone but Elsa sitting across from her, Anna probably would have tossed the board across the room.

"Good. Game," she gritted through her teeth.

The Queen smiled. "You fought valiantly, my dear Knight. Come on; let's go to bed. I think I know a way to make you feel better." In one smooth movement, Elsa rose from her seat and took Anna by the hand. Their fingers laced, the two women began to make their way back towards their chambers.

Suddenly, Anna didn't feel so angry any longer.

\

He looked around at the group assembled before him. It was smaller than it once was. The failed battles and schemes of the past year had taken their toll.

"We've had a breakthrough," he announced. "One of our newer members is a secretary in the city's eastern administration building. By pure chance, she came into contact with Anna three days ago."

His compatriots looked at him in surprise.

"Anna was there with a young, aspiring ice-harvester named Kristoff. Apparently, the two of them are friends. They were trying to get a permit for his business," he explained.

To his left, Rohan frowned. "It's a strange coincidence," the air-mage agreed. "But how is it of use to us? It's not as if she's going to return there."

He sighed. "Because we now know that Anna has someone she cares about...someone who isn't protected. Capturing him would be effortless. Once this ice-harvester is in our custody..."

"We can force Anna to come to us," a woman finished. "Elsa's most valuable protector will be taken out of the picture."

He nodded, not betraying any sign of the twinge of reluctance he felt. "Yes. The Queen has announced that she will be traveling on her own next week, for a period of nearly two days. That alone doesn't help us. She's far too fast to follow, and we have no idea where she will be going. But for thirty-six hours, she will be out of the way."

Rohan smiled, no doubt remembering his one-sided confrontation with the Queen. "If she accompanied Anna to this ambush, chances are we would all perish. On the other hand, Anna alone..."

"Will be all but helpless."


	57. Chapter 57

Kristoff straggled up the stairs, his exhausted mind looking forward to nothing more than the soft feather bed that awaited him. Creating a business wasn't easy. It was less taxing on his muscles, perhaps, than a day of chopping ice, but it was mentally exhausting. At least with ice-harvesting, there was little doubt of the final result. There was no guarantee of success when forming a company.

Thanks to Queen Elsa, he had his permit, at least. A quick investigation into Drexel's practice had resulted in the utterly shocked administrator being fired, a fact that have Kristoff no small amount of satisfaction. Unsurprisingly, his replacement had been only too willing to give the aspiring businessman a permit.

Making it up the stairs, he threw open the door to his bedroom and collapsed onto the sheets in a disjointed heap. He would lie here, just for a minute before undressing...

\

"Get up."

A spasm of pain above his stomach prevented Krisotff from rising fully. He opened his eyes...and received the shock of his life.

Five men in black cloaks were surrounding his bed, all of them armed with blades of cold steel. The nearest man had his weapon aimed at Kristoff's chest; it was shearing through his shirt and had just penetrated the top of his skin.

His heartbeat raced. Was he still dreaming? He didn't think so. What the hell were a group of armed men doing in his bedroom?! Sweat began to pour down Kristoff's cheeks.

They didn't want to kill him. He'd be dead already if that was the case. Kristoff tried to think of what the hell these men could want with him. An idea he couldn't pinpoint lurked at the edge of his mind, but the panic flowing through him made it impossible to concentrate.

Damn! He knew he had no choice. Kristoff could hold his own in a tavern brawl, but he wasn't a trained warrior. He would have absolutely no chance against five determined attackers, even if a sword point wasn't already lodged in his chest. That itself was pain enough for a lifetime. Kristoff couldn't imagine how much agony he would experience if the blade plunged completely into his body.

"Tie his arms."

\

Home. Anna had gone her entire life without having one. True, the orphanage had given her a roof over her head and a bed to lie on, but she couldn't truly have called it home.

This was home. It was more than just the Castle that surrounded her and the fine silken sheets that she was lying on. Elsa's arms, currently wrapped around her in a loving embrace, were what made it truly real.

"I'm going to miss you...so much," Anna whispered. It was their last hour together before Elsa took off to see the trolls. It would only be two days of separation, but their time apart would be painful nonetheless. Evidently, the Queen shared that sentiment.

Elsa squeezed her tighter, and Anna found herself burying her forehead into the Queen's neck. Despite her previous intimacy with various women, snuggling had been a new experience for Anna. Her previous partners had been all too happy to fuck her, but cuddling...not so much.

She loved laying beside her lover, taking in Elsa's wintery scent. Anna was the Queen's Knight and personal attendant, her premier bodyguard. Yet the Knight never felt safer than when she was wrapped in her Queen's arms.

Thankfully, Elsa seemed to enjoy snuggling just as much as her partner. Anna had never before truly experienced the sensation of comforting physical contact with someone she loved. For the Queen, it was a different story. Elsa had been embraced by her parents countless times during her childhood, of course. But for over five years, she hadn't been able to so much as hug another human being. As close as she had been with Kai and Gerda, it simply wasn't appropriate for a monarch to hug her staff.

Such physical isolation had left Elsa with a powerful yearning for another's embrace, and it was a void that Anna was only too glad to fill.

"You'll be fine," Elsa whispered back. "Since the rebellion, the Castle's been secured to almost a ridiculous level. Stay here, and you'll be safe." The Queen paused. "Promise me you'll stay here. If something happened-" she stopped herself.

If something happened to you, I could never forgive myself. Anna knew exactly what her Queen had been about to say.

"I promise. And the same goes for you! I'm not the one flying across the country," Anna pointed out.

From her position beneath Elsa's neck, Anna could feel the monarch's muscles move as her lips curled into a slight smile. "You're also not the one with godlike ice powers," Elsa noted. "I...I should get going. It's almost noon. If I want to be back before tomorrow night..."

Sighing, Anna began to disentangle herself from Elsa's embrace. "I know."

Planting a last kiss on Anna's forehead, the Queen withdrew her arms and rose from the bed. With a swift movement of her hands, a new ice dress replaced her bedgown.

The sight of Elsa clothed in her element never failed to take Anna's breath away. The Knight was aware that she herself was an attractive woman, but Anna knew that she couldn't hold a candle to her lover when it came to looks. Her Queen was beauty personified.

She ran to Elsa, claiming the Queen's lips in a fierce kiss. Anna hung onto her consort as tightly as she could without causing injury, as if her stronger grip would delay the moment of parting. Unfortunately, it was time to let Elsa go. The Queen was doing this for her, after all, and it wouldn't be fair to force her to spend more than one night away from the Palace.

Still, the monarch was the one to pull back. "I love you, Anna." She placed a final kiss on the Knight's forehead before making her way out onto their balcony. Anna resisted the urge to follow.

A blizzard was raging: the first of the year. It was the earliest snowstorm Arendelle had seen in a decade, yet it was as strong as any natural storm Anna had seen over the past year. Already, the kingdom below was covered in a sea of white.

"This isn't your doing, is it?" the Knight asked playfully. For anyone else, this storm would put a stop to all but the most important travels. All it did for Elsa, however, was to make the journey more enjoyable.

The Queen smirked. "You insult me, dear Anna. If I was to create a storm, it would be much more powerful than this."

Without another word, Elsa took off flying through the air.

Anna stood there for several minutes, staring at the trail of snow that the Queen left behind.

\

The first few hours of the day passed quickly for Anna. Following Elsa's departure, she made her way down to the courtyard to get in some training. Drell had been kind enough to develop exercises that limited the Knight's reliance on her superhuman strength and speed, forcing her to depend on technique and finesse to succeed. Based upon skill alone, Anna could now consider herself an expert warrior, but there was still more than one person at the Castle who would be able to best her if she lost her magic.

When she finally had enough, the Knight made her way up to the Royal Chambers to wash herself before going down to the dining hall for lunch. It was lonely eating without Elsa, but it still felt good to eat after a morning of hard work.

Then her day went to hell.

It started with an innocent knock on the dining room door; the guards opened it to admit a young maid. Anna smiled as she recognized Kayla, her eyes fixed to the floor as she carried the Knight's requested dessert of chocolate ice cream.

"Hi!" Anna greeted.

Kayla let out a sharp gasp, her arms involuntarily jolting. A loud crash sounded as the tray fell to the ground, shattering the bowl and scattering glass and melted ice cream across the floor.

"Kayla!' the Knight sprang to her feet and hurried over to the girl. "Are you alright?" Anna did a quick examination of the maid's arms, noting with relief that her skin was free of any glass shards.

Hurriedly, Kayla dropped to her knees and began to scoop the mess back into the tray. With a gentle touch, Anna brushed the girl aside and did it herself. Her skin was durable enough to the point that it faced little threat from broken glass, and with her speed everything but the melted ice cream was placed back onto the tray within seconds.

"I'm so sorry, milady," Kayla finally managed. "Thanks for the assistance."

"It's no problem," Anna assured her as she handed the tray back to the younger woman. "I startled you. Are you sure that you're fine?" It wasn't like Kayla- or any maid- to be clumsy enough to drop a tray just because of a friendly greeting.

Kayla frowned. "Yes, milady. It's just...ever since the attack, I've been a little jumpy." She didn't need to elaborate. Elsa had told her how she had saved the young maid from being violated by one of the mercenaries. It would have been worse had the Queen not intervened, of course, but understandably Kayla seemed to have not escaped the incident mentally unscathed.

"Elsa told me," Anna said simply. "I...well I'm not an expert, but I've had my fair share of unpleasant experiences. If you ever want to talk...I mean, we're already talking, of course, but if you wanted to discuss...what happened, my door's always open."

Kayla smiled hesitantly. "...Thanks, milady. I'll keep that in mind. Oh! One of the servants told me to give you this. Someone left it at the front gate for you. She didn't say what her name was, but she said it was important." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a sealed letter. Lady Anna was written on the front.

"Thanks," Anna replied as Kayla bowed slightly and returned to the kitchens. Who would have sent her a letter? Kristoff was her only friend in the city, and as reclusive as he could be, the ice harvester wasn't the type to simply hurry off without even leaving a name.

Without further preamble, she opened the letter.

Lady Anna,

You have proven a worthy adversary, but your interference in our plans must come to an end. We have captured your friend Kristoff, and though we take no pleasure in hurting an innocent, we will kill him if our demands our not met.

At midnight, you shall come to the forest behind the Castle and make your way to the shore of the lake. You will be alone, and unarmed. At some time past midnight, we will reveal ourselves, holding your friend at blade-point as we approach. The very second we see that you have not abided completely by our terms, he will die.

We do not wish to kill you. Perhaps, when you learn the truth behind our intentions, you will see fit to aid us. If not, you will be taken into custody.

His life is in your hands.

There was no signature at the bottom.

\

"You do not understand what you are asking for, Your Majesty."

Elsa frowned. She and Pabbie were speaking privately, sitting in small leather chairs inside the Grand Troll's wooden hut. At first, he and his fellows had greeted her enthusiastically, but now he did not seem so eager to provide aid.

"Then enlighten me," she implored. "You've stated that what Kristoff said is true; you do have the power to remove memories. Forgive me, but I fail to see what I am misunderstanding."

The old troll sighed. "I am not capable of removing memories that one does not wish to part with. The potion can be created easily, and it is entirely up to the drinker what memories will be forgotten. This, in of itself, poses little danger. However, memories are not the only thing that may be lost."

Her eyes narrowed inquisitively. Sometimes, she wished the trolls could be a bit more direct with their words.

"We are products of our memories," Pabbie continued sagely. "They define us, influencing our actions whether we know it or not. Removing them, especially in large quantities, can change who we are."

"Exactly," Elsa agreed. "Anna wants to change. She- we- hope that by forgetting what happened in Lucrania, her mental scars will disappear. I fail to see the potential downside of losing only bad memories."

Pabbie shook his head. "I do not pretend to understand this branch of magic completely. But I did call upon it several times in my younger days, and there have been copious notes left behind by my predecessors. They both point to the same conclusion: the effects of memory loss are unpredictable. Young Anna is not the first good soul to ask for painful experiences to be taken away."

"And what happened to those who came before her?" Elsa questioned. A sliver of doubt was expanding throughout her mind.

"Many things. For some, the magic worked exactly as intended; there were no side effects. But others...they lost pieces of who they were. They and their loved ones would consider the result a success, at first, and thank me before going on to continue their lives. Then their loved ones would return, claiming that the magic's recipient was not the same. Sometimes, the alterations were minor. Sometimes they were not. More than once, I was told that my 'patient' was a completely different person. Kind and loving husbands and wives became bitter and reclusive."

"But why-"

Pabbie raised a hand to silence her. "I do not know, Your Majesty. It was not long before I swore off the practice entirely, and I saw no reason to continue studying it. My best guess is that removing memories has an amplifying effect on the psyche. Taking away an hour of happiness does as much damage as subjecting a person to a year of misery. Even though I was always asked to remove unpleasant memories, there is always at least a small amount of joy to be found during dark times."

"Not in Anna's case," Elsa affirmed. "I find it almost impossible to believe that she had a second of happiness while inside that dungeon."

"Perhaps," Pabbie agreed. "But what about right after her rescue? I am sure she was more than glad to wake up in your arms. Even though my magic would not remove that moment from her recollections, that happiness would be taken away. There would be no reason for that joy to remain, after all, if she didn't even know what she had been saved from."

Elsa sighed. It seemed that things could never be easy. "You're saying that if Anna drank your potion, there is a chance she could be changed?"

"Yes," the troll replied somberly. "I cannot give you any details on the probabilities. You now know all that I do about the subject. Magic, as we both know, is a highly complex matter at best. It is certainly possible that her personality would remain completely intact, or that any alterations would be so minor that neither of you would notice."

"That is not a risk I would like to take," Elsa said, mostly to herself. "But I have been told that any curse can be negated by true love's kiss. If I believed her to have been…affected, couldn't I simply kiss her to reverse the effects?"

Pabbie shook his head. "I have no doubt that what the two of you share is true love, but that would not be of any use in this instance. Memory loss is not a curse. It can only be undertaken willingly; to constitute a curse, a spell must be imprinted forcefully. Nor do I possess any magic capable of returning the lost memories. Drinking the potion, I am afraid, creates a wound that can never be closed."

The Queen stared at him, her eyes fraught with indecision. She wanted to ease the Knight's mental anguish, just as much as Anna herself did. And her consort was certainly correct in saying that this would allow her to defend both of their lives with greater surety. Yet the cost...

"So you won't make the potion?" she questioned.

Pabbie's eyes fell to the floor. "I have sworn to provide aid to the Royal Family of Arendelle, provided that you continue to grant us peaceful sanctuary. And you know Anna and her struggles far better than I. The risk may be worth it, but you are the only one who is fit to judge. Ask this of me, and I will grant you what you seek."

Elsa resisted the urge to encase the room in ice. Why? Why did every damn decision fall on her shoulders? Was it too much, just for once, to not have to make a virtual life and death decision...and submit herself to the consequences?

Yes. Elsa berated herself for the moment of weakness. As Queen of Arendelle, she had no right to deny this responsibility. More importantly, as Anna's sole love in the world, she had a duty to look out for the Knight's well being. To desire to pass that obligation onto someone else was nothing short of shameful.

"What do you wish, Your Majesty?" Pabbie prompted.

\

Anna didn't want to die.

Even when she had wandered the land cold and hungry, possessing nothing but the damp blue rags that had passed for her clothes, Anna had been driven to survive. Now that she had a life worth having, her desire to live had only grown stronger.

Giving into the conspirators' demands would almost certainly lead to her death. Anna was not an overly intelligent woman, but neither was she a fool. The letter's assurance that she would be taken into custody was a lie. The conspirators might not know the details, but they had undoubtedly inferred that Elsa had a magical means of locating her. It was the only explanation for her rescue from Lucrania.

They wouldn't dare bring Elsa's wrath upon themselves again. Luring the Queen into an open confrontation, no matter how prepared the defenders might be, was suicidal. No, Anna would not be taken prisoner once again. If the conspirators got their way, the Knight would not live to see tomorrow's sunrise.

Yet remaining in the Castle would doom Kristoff to a similar fate. Over the past two hours, she had investigated the situation- desperately trying to find a way out. Kayla's claim that the letter had been left at the front gate had indeed been true, but the guards on duty could offer her few clues on who the deliverer had been. A quick trip into the city had likewise confirmed that Kristoff was missing.

In her heart, she knew he had been captured. It wasn't surprising. Kristoff was brave enough, but he was no warrior and his residence had been virtually unguarded. It would have been all too easy for them to take him.

The Knight was sitting at the edge of her bed, cradling her head in her hands. What would she do? What could she do? Every alternative was unthinkable. It was, she reflected, a very similar situation to the one Elsa had faced during Anna's own captivity. Unfortunately, the Knight had no chance of replicating her Queen's solution. The trolls were too far away for Anna to petition them to locate Kristoff, and Elsa would not be back for another twenty-four hours.

She knew what she should do. As a Knight of the realm, she had sworn to protect the kingdom of Arendelle and its Queen. Anna had dedicated her life to that goal. To all but forfeit her survival to save one man, a man who was not vital to the kingdom's security, would be disloyal at best and treasonous at worst.

In the past, Anna had repeatedly reminded Elsa that the Queen's life was more important than her own. Now that same logic was biting her in the ass. Anna was less important than Elsa, but she was certainly more valuable than Kristoff. If only for her ability to defend the monarch, Anna was of far more use to the kingdom than a single ice harvester.

But she couldn't do it. She couldn't abandon a friend to certain death.

Anna's eyes wandered around the room as she desperately tried to figure a way out. Bringing guards with her would result in Kristoff's execution, and it would be highly unlikely that the conspirators would stick around long enough to be captured. Her gaze shifted around Elsa's room, as if Anna was eager to look upon what had become her home one last time.

The bookshelf, the bed sheets, the antique decorations on the wall. It really was a beautiful room. Her eyes roamed across a painting depicting an ancient battle in Arendelle's history: heavily armored soldiers fighting fiercely as the vicious flights of arrows darkened the sky overhead. Why had she never examined it before?

It was done. Her choice was made. For perhaps the last time, Anna walked out of the bedroom.

She left only two things behind.

\

The Knight stared out into the night, taking in the treacherous beauty of the freezing lake before her. Despite the terror that was flowing through her, Anna couldn't help but appreciate the irony. The fact that Elsa often practiced her powers here was a secret that she had withstood torture to withhold. Now, by pure chance, the conspirators had decided to organize a meeting at this very spot.

It was cold. The morning's blizzard had not yet dissipated; snow continued to fall at a moderate pace. The ground was already coated in several inches of the white powder. Anna's gaze anxiously went up to the trees around her, all of which were likewise adorned with a blanket of white so heavy that the limbs beneath were almost completely hidden.

Crunch.

The sound echoed through the night. In the distance, Anna could now perceive a lone figure deep into the tree line. He (or she) stood there for nearly thirty seconds before turning and walking back into the darkness.

A scout.

It didn't take long for her guess to be validated. With the lake to her back, Anna was surrounded on three sides by the forest. Five minutes after the first visitor's brief appearance, figures began to appear from all three directions. Slowly, they approached her.

In the tales she'd read during her time in the Castle, a hero who'd faced death had always done so bravely. Any Knight in one of her fairy tales would never experience an iota of fear while sacrificing himself for a friend.

Anna was terrified. With every step the approaching figures took towards her, the Knight's heart rate increased another notch. She wasn't ready to die. Suddenly, she found herself overcome with the injustice of it all. After a life of living hell, this was going to be her reward? And now the one person who had ever shown her real kindness would likely find Anna lying dead in the snow. Would Elsa ever recover from such a sight?

She feared for Elsa. She feared for herself.

They were close now, almost within shooting range. Anna could perceive at least twenty figures approaching her; over half seemed to be armed with heavy crossbows. The night's shadows seemed to cling to their clothes as Anna's terror fed her imagination.

All she had to defend herself was a single knife hidden in her right sleeve. Anna wished she could clutch its hilt for comfort.

Anna tensed, ready to dodge arrows if need be. But even as they stepped well within range, no one fired a shot from their loaded bows.

Two groups of three figures caught her eye. Being dragged to the snow by two men was Kristoff, a knife held firmly at his throat. Anna nearly cried in both elation and horror as she perceived her friend's unmistakable face.

Another man was being carried along similarly some distance away, but a bag over his head prevented Anna from recognizing him. A second prisoner? It must be, though Anna could not begin to guess at the purpose of his presence.

At last, they all stopped. Less than twenty meters now separated Anna from the farthest of the conspirators. All were clothed warmly, but that did not make the copious weaponry each of them carried look any less intimidating. She recognized none of them.

A lone man stood at the center of the group now encircling her. And now, he alone began to step towards her again. A thick hood concealed his face, but it was the familiar heavy sword on his belt that drew Anna's attention.

They were ten feet apart when the man finally stopped. With a single, fluid motion, he reached behind his neck and pulled down his hood.

"Hello, Anna," Arms Master Drell said quietly.


	58. Chapter 58: Bonus Scene 1

Elsa stared up at the wall of the inn, her fingers trembling uncontrollably. It wasn't from the cold; the chill in the air did not have the slightest effect on her. Nether did the particles of snow that rained down with the blizzard. No. It was fear that controlled her movements.

She didn't want to do this. In fact, she would have given almost anything to not have to. Elsa simply didn't have a choice.

In fact, she had nothing. Unless you counted the blue shirt and trousers that adorned her slim frame. Most would barely describe them as rags. Other than that...she had no friends, no family, no money. And no food. After being thrown out of the orphanage when she was fourteen, her condition had made it impossible to find work. Petty thievery had been her only option.

Ironic wasn't it, that her disease...her magic, was now her only hope. The one thing responsible for her premature eviction from the shelter and inability to work for a living or find a husband now offered her an opportunity to continue living.

What's the point? Elsa thought to herself. She had nothing to live for. Her sole source of joy was the sensation of eating whatever food she could get her hands on, and that was nothing but a temporary release from the hunger that constantly roared in her stomach. After twenty-one years of a pitiful existence, maybe it was time to put herself out of her misery.

Just not today.

She sprayed out her hands, struggling to focus the ice. Elsa's magic had betrayed her time and time again, lashing out at the world around her despite all her attempts to stop it. As a young child, Elsa had been fond of her powers. But after the matrons at the orphanage had learned of her foul sorcery, the young girl had suffered a beating for so much as a small snowflake. And as fear took hold, she had quickly lost all control.

With tremendous effort, Elsa released a small blast of ice. It latched to the wall before forming into a crude yet usable staircase to the top floor window.

Up there, perhaps, was a chance as a meal. An hour ago, after spending her last coin for a night in the inn, she'd glimpsed a noblewoman being escorted up the stairs by an armored complement of guards. Elsa had no idea who she was or what she was doing here. But she had no doubt that the woman was rich. And that meant that the thief could steal from her without remorse.

She climbed up the stairs now, doing her best to remain as quiet as possible. Arriving at the closed but unlocked window, Elsa slowly pushed the panels open.

Her eyes could make out a bed at the far side of the room. The woman was sleeping in it, by all appearances dead to the world. And there, a few feet away, rested a bag of coins. Smiling slightly at the thought of a hot meal, Elsa stepped inside and softly placed her feet on the floor.

Not a sound was made as the thief quietly made her way to the bedside table. A rusted dagger sat on her hip, but Elsa would never use it on an innocent woman. No, it was simply meant as for protection from any ruffians out in the cold, dark world who might get any ideas.

She snatched up the bag of cold coins. Still, the other woman didn't make a sound. Elsa began to tiptoe towards the window, where her staircase stil stood. She was almost there...

WHOOSH! A massive gust of wind burst into the room. Instantly, the sleeping girl began to stir. Elsa lost control of her magic as her heart began to pound. The staircase outside dissolved into nothing.

The other woman rose from the bed. For the moment, it was evident that her drowsiness coupled with the darkness in the room was enough to conceal Elsa from her vision. But as the bed's occupant climbed to her feet and fumbled for a candle, the thief knew she was doomed.

Light flared as the candle roared to life. In the instant before the other woman registered the thief's presence, the situation became terrifying clear to Elsa. The ginger red hair tied in two pigtails, the crocus symbol sewn into her fine silken nightgown and the golden-red sword she could now see resting at the foot of the bed...they could only have belonged to one woman in the entire kingdom.

Queen Anna.

"That's better-...who the hell are you?!" the Queen's vocal approval of the light in the room quickly morphed into a cry of shock. Elsa thought quickly. She was doomed, she knew that now. The thief would never harm an innocent civilian, least of all the Queen herself.

Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. Elsa's fate had been inevitable: a slow and painful death on the streets. She didn't have the willpower to kill herself. But now, perhaps someone would do it for her.

Before the stunned Queen could say anything else, Elsa was already falling to her knees. With one hand, she extracted her dagger from her belt and tossed it to the other side of the room. "Your Majesty-" she began, lowering her eyes to the floor. "Please understand, I had not the slightest idea that this was your room. I'm so, so sorry for breaking in, I was just so hungry and I thought that a noblewoman was staying up here, someone who wouldn't really be affected if I took a few coins."

Queen Anna said nothing, and Elsa dared not look at her.

"You have every justification to execute me, and I accept that. Please, just use your sword...and make it quick." Elsa slowly reached behind her neck, moving aside her dirty hair and leaving the path to her flesh clear.

For another twenty seconds, the thief remained petrified on the floor. Was it too much for the Queen to just get it over with? She could just call her guards to do it for her if she was too squeamish to do it herself.

It wasn't a blade that next made contact with her skin. It was a warm, comforting hand that placed itself on Elsa's shoulder. Startled beyond measure, the thief looked up to see the Queen standing over her with a cautious yet warm smile.

"I'm not going to kill you," Anna promised. Her voice was young and gentle, but it carried with it an air of unshakable conviction. "Please, just...stand up and sit in a chair, and we'll talk for a while."

Shakily, she followed the Queen's command. "Aren't you afraid I'm going to...hurt you? Your Majesty?" Elsa managed.

Anna's gaze moved to the discarded dagger lying against the far wall. "If you wanted to hurt me, you would have done it long ago. In fact, you could have just killed me in my sleep. Now please, sit down. I'm tired of standing but I'm not going to get off my feet until you do."

Trembling, Elsa forced herself to take a few steps and sit down into a leather chair. Smiling at her action, the Queen moved back to her bed and sat on her sheets.

"So..." the monarch began awkwardly. "Tell me if I'm wrong. You're...well...dirt poor. I'm sorry, it's just your clothes and all..." Anna stopped herself before beginning again. "You don't have any money or relations, and you wanted to take from someone who could afford it because you were starving."

"Yes...Your Majesty," the utterly bewildered thief replied. Was the Queen some kind of psycho who enjoyed toying with her prisoners before executed them?

Anna opened her mouth to speak again, then seemed to think of something. Motioning for Elsa to stay put, she rose from the bed once again before opening her bedroom door.

"Vale!" she called. "I'm sorry for being a bother so late in the night, but it's an emergency. Tell the innkeeper that I need a big bowl of hot soup and as much bread as he can fit on one plate, sent to my room immediately. Thanks!"

A muffled affirmative reply was heard before Anna shut the door behind her. Uncertainly, the Queen returned to her bed and sat down. "You can keep the coins, of course," said Anna. "They're nothing to me and you need them. But that probably won't be enough..."

"You're letting me go?!" Elsa had never been as surprised as she was in that moment, even when compared to when she had first discovered her powers.

Anna nodded vigorously. "I don't blame you at all. In fact, I might have done the same thing in your situation. But that doesn't quite fix..." she paused. A moment of indecision passed. "You know what? You're coming back to the Castle with me. We can always use another cook or maid or secretary or something."

Elsa's eyes widened. "You want to...give me a job?"

"You wouldn't have to work that hard, and you'd get a nice wage, a warm bed to sleep in, and good food and clothes," Anna promised.

The thief stared. Just. Stared. The woman she had just tried to rob, the most powerful woman on the northern continent, was now offering her work and a place to live. Elsa simply couldn't believe what was happening. Chances like this didn't come up often. Or ever.

Which would make her refusal all the more painful.

"Your Majesty, I can't thank you enough for the offer. But I can't accept; I'd put you and all of your staff in danger..." she stopped herself too late. Usually, Elsa was smart enough to avoid dropping hints about her magic, but the situation had rattled her enough to break her usual discipline.

Anna stared at her incredulously. "...Danger? Is someone after you?! Don't worry, you'd be safe in the Castle, and my men would protect you," she assured the thief.

"No, Your Majesty. It's...me."

"Huh?'

Elsa sighed. "I have...magic. Ice magic. That's how I got up here. But I can barely control it, and sometimes it lashes out and hurts people. That's why I've never tried to find a job; I can't be near people for long."

For the first time, the Queen looked skeptical. Knowing she'd have to prove her claims, Elsa reluctantly conjured the smallest visible snowflake she could create. It rotated above her palm for a moment before fading away.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Anna exclaimed. "I've heard of magic, of course, but I've never seen it...Anyway, why don't you tell me the whole story? I'm sure we can work something out."

Elsa wasn't sure what the Queen was talking about, but she told her story nonetheless. Her forthcomingness surprised her. Elsa had never been the talkative type, nor was she one who liked to share her secrets. But the woman in front of her seemed so earnest and kind...and she was the Queen, after all.

So she told Anna everything. Being left at the orphanage's doorstep as a baby. Learning of her powers and liking them initially. Then being beaten by the staff because of them and isolated in her room for almost her entire childhood. And finally, being kicked out after they grew too fearful of what she could do.

The meal arrived halfway through. The innkeeper was shocked to see Anna's 'guest', but a glance from the Queen told him not to question the matter. At Anna's direction, he placed the tray on the table in front of Elsa before leaving the room.

"Go ahead; don't let me stop you. I'm sure you're starving. Eat!"

And so Elsa did. She devoured the meal in front of her. The insatiable, omnipresent beast known as hunger faded from her stomach for the first time in forever. If the Queen was bothered by her lack of manners, she didn't show it. She waited calmly for Elsa to finish. A smile lit up her beautiful face as she watched the thief gorge herself.

A furious blush spread across Elsa's face as she noticed the Queen's intent gaze. Yet, noticing the warmth and kindness in the other woman's eyes, the thief felt a brief flare of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't doomed after all.

After she finally finished her tale- and her meal- Elsa waited for the Queen's reaction. Anna had been riveted on her words the entire time, and Elsa could tell she had had to resist the urge to interrupt.

"That's...gods, that's horrible Elsa! Can I call you Elsa?" The thief nodded. "Your magic...I know a lot of people are afraid of it. But I don't think they have to be."

"I can't control it!...Your Majesty," Elsa pointed out.

Anna stared at her thoughtfully. "Maybe you can fix that. You said you could control it when you were younger, right? My guess is that the staff at the orphanage...it's their fault. They made you afraid, and I doubt that's good for controlling magic. If you had been taught to embrace it and use it wisely, I don't think you'd have any problems."

Elsa's first instinct was to ask 'How the hell would you know?' Yet the more she thought about it, the more she believed that perhaps Anna had a point. Initially, she did have control over her powers, and she'd enjoyed showing them to the other children. Before the matrons stepped in, Elsa had never feared that she might hurt anyone.

"I'll help you," Anna promised. "No ifs, ands, or buts, you're coming back to the Palace with me. We'll set you up in a room and you can practice your powers in a big empty clearing where there's no risk of hurting anyone. We can use your magic to help protect the kingdom...build big ice walls and forts to defend the borders, it would be..." she stopped as she saw the skeptical look on Elsa's face. "Okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself there. But you never know!"

"How...how long could I stay?" Elsa asked nervously.

"As long as you want!" Anna replied cheerfully. "We'll get your magic under control. Even if it turns out to be useless, I'll make sure you have a good job that you like. I promise, on my life and title, as long as you don't break any laws or anything, even if we have to take precautions because of your magic, and I'm sure we won't...you'll have a home in my Castle."

Home. How long had it been since Elsa had had one of those? Did the orphanage even count? This...this couldn't be real. She had to be dreaming.

She was dreaming!

\

Elsa awoke with a start.

High above her, the stars shone high in the sky above the trolls' clearing. Trying to get her emotions under control, the Queen stood up off the cot Grand Pabbie had provided her and started pacing.

It was just like her vision of Norgate. Too real to be a dream...and she remembered everything. Why or how the vision had occurred, Elsa didn't know. What she did know was what it had depicted. A role reversal. Anna as Queen...and herself as the thief.

Guilt. All she could feel was guilt. She wasn't surprised to see that Queen Anna would have immediately offered thief Elsa a place to live. But to see it so plainly brought the reality of her own actions stark home.

Why didn't I do that? Queen Anna had to worry about my magic and she still helped me! I didn't even give her the bag of coins.

Worse, Elsa felt like she truly understood a small sliver of Anna's past now. The sensations she had felt were far more powerful than they could have been in any normal dream. She'd felt the hunger and the hopelessness of poverty as powerfully as Anna ever had. For a few minutes.

Rationally, Elsa had already known what Anna had gone through. She'd sympathized with her Knight and done her best to erase the scars of such an upbringing. Yet experiencing it personally (sort of) brought with it a whole new level of understanding.

Anna had gone through utter hell. And Elsa had handed her three coins before sending her back into the fire.

For the first time in months, the Queen wept.


	59. Chapter 59

A torrent of memories flooded through Anna's mind.

Her first session with Drell had been both a triumph and a disaster. Their first sparring match- a contest initiated for the sole purpose of gauging Anna's potential- had ended with the Arms Master walking away with two broken fingers thanks to a lucky blow. Yet Drell hadn't punished her. He had actually been pleased. It was at that moment that Anna truly began to believe that she had a chance to become a skilled warrior.

Drell had trained her intensely over the next several weeks, but he had never been harsh. Anna's pride when he had deemed her fit to compete in tournaments had been eclipsed by her despair at the prospect of leaving the Queen and her Castle behind, but she had still been honored to receive his approval.

That honor had been tempered by the shame of lying to him about her magic. As it had turned out, however, he had known about it almost since the beginning. Anna's relief had been palpable when he'd assured her that her bravery and loyalty to the crown made her a more than worthy student, superhuman abilities or otherwise.

Since the beginning, Drell had supported her. No matter who criticized her, the Arms Master had always been eager to come to her defense. When her past as a criminal had come to light, Drell had barely batted an eye.

Anna had come to him as an unskilled and frankly terrified woman who had just received her first glimmer of real hope in over a decade. Under his guidance, she had been forged into a skilled and confident swordswoman- one capable of utilizing her magical abilities to their greatest extent. No one save Elsa herself had done more for her.

And he was a traitor.

Only her desire to keep Kristoff alive prevented Anna from revealing her hidden knife and hurling it into Drell's chest. That, and the faint hope that maybe, somehow, this was all a misunderstanding.

"You...you're...you?" It was all she could manage.

Drell nodded. His expression was not what Anna would have expected from a mastermind who had just managed to corner a great enemy. He seemed sad...almost reluctant. But underneath that sorrow, the Knight could perceive a fierce conviction that would override any lesser emotion.

"There is no mistake, Anna. For months, I have directed efforts to end our Queen's life. I never wished to see you share that fate. If you listen to what I have to say, there is still a chance to avoid such an end."

Anna's hands shook with rage. "Why?!" she hissed. "Elsa is a great Queen; she's never hurt anyone who didn't strike her first! Arendelle has become the greatest country on earth under her reign! Why the fuck would you try to kill her?! Is this all some mad power grab? Or are you just a sexist homophobic bastard like all of the others?!" the Knight spat.

Drell gazed into her eyes with a calm yet firm glare. Behind him, his twenty co-conspirators remained at the ready.

"You don't understand," he began. "This has never been about such mundane concerns. I don't care that a woman is in charge...or that she loves another woman. This has never been about self-interest. The simple truth of the matter is that Elsa has to die."

She should kill him right now and damn the consequences. Anna's fingers itched to claw at his throat...no. For the sake of Arendelle, she had to wait. The second she made a move towards Drell, the Knight would have over a dozen crossbow bolts heading for her direction. Even with her speed, she probably couldn't dodge them all. Not in the dark.

"WHY?!" Anna demanded again. "You...you tortured me, and for what?!"

Drell frowned. "We had nothing to do with what happened in Lucrania," he assured her.

"Yeah, right!" Anna shouted back.

"I understand your anger. Elsa presents herself as a loving, selfless Queen who would do anything for her kingdom. It is a convincing facade, one that fooled us for many years. But it is all a lie. Anna, you don't have the slightest idea of what she truly is."

The Knight stared at him. "What she is?" Anna questioned, a twinge of uncertainty now settling beside her anger.

With a sigh, the Arms Master nodded. "It's best that I start from the beginning. Humanity has existed for tens of thousands of years. This you probably know. What you are not aware of is that for the vast majority of that time, mankind was not alone. In fact, for most of its existence, it did not even control the earth."

Anna's eyes narrowed. She wanted answers, not folk tales. "And who did?" she questioned impatiently.

"Gods and goddesses. There were hundreds of them, each had control over a certain element, and all were immortal and unkillable. We do not know where they came from. But we do know that for thousands of years, mankind developed slowly under their careful watch. Until the Cataclysm," he continued.

"Cataclysm?" Anna repeated impatiently. She must humor him. She had to learn his motives, no matter how deranged they might be.

"An appropriate name if there ever was one," Drell muttered. "The gods had an established hierarchy, a King ruled over them just as mortal rulers lead humanity today. As you might expect, not every god and goddess remained pleased with the situation forever. You see, Anna, the gods often mated with mortals. It was both expected and accepted both as a form of enjoyment and a means of having children. However, they were not supposed to marry them. When the King took a human as his Queen-Consort, a large faction used this as an excuse to rebel."

Anna's fists clenched even tighter. "Sounds familiar," she hissed.

Drell nodded in acknowledgement of the point. "Regardless, the war was brutal. The gods could not be killed; the only way to take one out of the picture was to imprison them...and that was not easy. Due to the sheer difficulty in securing victories and their unthinkable powers, the world was devastated by the conflict. Humanity's population was halved, all mankind could do was hide in the caves and pray that those they had worshipped did not destroy them."

Her mind flashed back to her journey with Kristoff. Hadn't he mentioned something about gods warring? It seemed like such a long time ago.

"A small number of gods, both loyal and rebel, were captured and imprisoned, but it was clear that the world would be utterly destroyed long before either side could claim victory. Under the King's orders, the loyalists combined their power and opened a portal to another dimension...banishing both themselves and the rebels from the earth forever. The rift was nearly irresistible, and every single god and goddess on the planet was drawn into it. All except for one."

Holy. Shit.

Anna instinctively knew that he was telling the truth. She had seen the events he now described. Her dreams...had they been real after all? They were finally making sense! Anna's first vision had been of a world in flames, nature literally at war with itself, until a booming voice demanded that the fighting end. Later, she had dreamt of a single powerful being resisting the pull of a 'rift' while her compatriots were removed from this plane of existence.

"Where did they go?" she couldn't help but ask.

Drell shrugged. "The details are murky. Perhaps the realm of the afterlife, or the realm they had originally come from. In the end, it doesn't matter. All of the gods and goddesses were banished from the world forever. Save one. She was an ice goddess, Anna. She'd been neutral during the war, but its aftermath left her the unquestioned ruler of the entire planet."

"What was her name?" It couldn't be Elsa. The Queen had been born twenty four years ago; it was well documented. She had not lived for thousands of years. It was impossible.

"She did not have one. Many gods did not; they chose to be referred to only by their element. It reinforced their dominance over mortal kind, don't you see? Anyone addressing her would have simply called her 'Goddess of Winter.'"

Anna glared at him, the anger rising again. "And what the hell does any of this have to do with today?" she demanded.

Drell held up a placating hand. "The Goddess ruled over humanity for hundreds of years. No one could hope to challenge her, and humanity continued to have its destiny controlled by a greater power. Fortunately, in ruling the world, the Goddess sowed the seeds for her own destruction. To wield power effectively, delegation was required. She chose to favor a specific group: those who could wield magic. Usually this power was only witnessed in mortals who were descended from the gods themselves, but on rare occasions a god was also known to gift supernatural abilities to a favored mortal with no divine ancestry. The bloodlines descended from the gods still flourished during Winter's reign, and she had her pick of powerful lieutenants."

The Knight said nothing in response. This all seemed like a folk tale, but her dreams...Could this traitor finally provide her with some clear answers?

"Most served her fanatically, delighted by their authority over their fellow man. But a select group eventually conspired against her. They knew that humanity could never reach its potential until mankind served no hire power. It was not easy. All of their magic combined could never hope to rival that of the Goddess in an open confrontation, even discounting her immortality. But after decades of research, they managed to craft a spell with the power to end her reign. Seizing the element of surprise and catching her off guard, the mortal rebellion trapped the Goddess and successfully destroyed her corporeal form."

Another dream clicked into place. Anna vividly remembered the sight of the tortured woman as her betrayers seemingly erased from existence. Despite Drell's words, Anna knew they weren't heroes. What they had done, what she had seen...had been the work of monsters.

"Humanity was free, but the essence of the Goddess endured. It was scattered to the wind, incapable of any thought, but it endured. It has slowly regained its strength over thousands of years, until it was strong enough to take human form. Elsa is the Goddess of Winter reborn, with full recollection of her past, and soon she will act to place all of humanity under her rule once again," he declared.

Her mouth gaped open in shock. For now, she was willing to believe most of his story; his tale coincided too closely to her visions to be mere coincidence. But Elsa as a Goddess? It seemed impossible.

Or did it? Anna had compared the Queen to a deity several times in the past. Elsa's powers were almost beyond human comprehension. And it wasn't hard to believe that something so beautiful possessed a degree of divinity.

"What makes you think it's her?" the Knight questioned. "Her powers? Just because she has strong magic doesn't make her a Goddess! You would kill an innocent woman based on mere suspicion?"

Drell shook his head. "No. We are entirely certain that she is the one. Anna, I doubt you know this, but throughout history, there have been a handful of individuals blessed with the power of prophecy. They could not look into the future voluntarily, but at times they would be overcome with premonitions of events that were yet to pass. One such individual was born a year before the Goddess's fall, descended from an unknown god herself. She was born to remnants of the Goddess's loyal servants, and to them she reiterated a prophecy that has shaped my entire life."

My last vision...

"Two thousand years shall pass, and in the land of the golden flower the Goddess shall be reborn. Clothed in human flesh, beget to a King, first of his name. In her prime, her sires will fall, and the crown shall mark her. She will return weakened in body, but if her domain spreads to the far corners of the earth, the world shall know divinity once more," he said gravely. "Our spies learned of this prophecy, and we became an Order determined to prevent these events from occurring."

Anna couldn't believe her ears. "You waited for two thousand years because of some young girl's mad rambling?"

Drell frowned. "Anna, throughout history, no prophecy issued by a Seer has ever proved wrong. The girl who said those words made several correct predictions during her lifetime. The words are clear; the Goddess would reincarnate, and there is nothing we could do to prevent that. There is hope, however, that we could stop her from achieving domination."

"By killing her," Anna hissed.

"Yes. My ancestors waited for millennia, passing down their knowledge to their children and keeping their bloodlines of magic alive. In recent years, with the time approaching, we based ourselves in the two countries that fit the description of the 'golden flower,'" he revealed.

Anna's eyes widened. "Arendelle and Corona," she breathed. Both countries used a golden flower as their symbol.

"We gained positions of significant power and influence in both countries, trying to position ourselves as close to the royal families as possible. Unfortunately, two individuals born in roughly the same stretch in time were potential candidates," he said. "The Goddess of Winter was capable of far more than ice magic. She was known to have a particular affinity for healing magic, like several of her compatriots."

"You weren't sure if it was Elsa, or...Rapunzel," Anna realized. "Why not just kill them both in their cribs? Why wait this long to make a move?"

The Arms Master grimaced. "We did not know which one was the Goddess. Our 'conspiracy', for lack of a better word, was unmolested for centuries because we never took any action that would bring scrutiny down upon us. Killing one of the Princesses would have increased the security of the other tenfold and brought the wrath of two superpowers upon us. Besides, the prophecy mentioned that the reincarnation's parents would die and leave the crown to her. Fighting a prophecy has never succeeded; our only chance was to work with it. Only the last line mentions an uncertain outcome, and that is where we knew to focus our efforts. We would wait for the Goddess to assume the crown, then strike before she could dominate the earth."

Anna shook her head, utterly bewildered and still fuming with rage. "Why wait five years after she became Queen? You even had her in custody when I saved her the first time; you could easily have killed her then."

"That was not us. We would have killed her had we gotten that chance. But that first attack had nothing to do with our Order. It was likely a simple ransom scheme. Neither did we have anything to do with that business in Lucrania; I would not have allowed you to be tortured," he claimed forcefully.

"You tried to kill me!" She didn't believe him for a second.

The Arms Master sighed. "With great reluctance, yes. I never wanted to hurt you, Anna. I trained you out of a real desire to help you; I had no idea that by doing so I was providing Elsa with her most powerful protector. You had planned to leave the Castle after your training was complete, remember?"

Anna did.

"I had hoped that you would have left by then; I wanted you out of harm's way. But during our first assassination attempt on the night of the Winter Solstice, you proved yourself a significant obstacle to our goal. My lieutenants ordered their men to kill you during that journey you made into the wilderness, and again during the infiltration of the Palace. I still did not want you dead, but as the leader of this Order, my personal qualms could not be allowed to override our mission. Reluctantly, I sanctioned their attempts. Had they succeeded, you would have been given a merciful end and a proper funeral," he assured her.

Her mind raced. His explicit admission that he had ordered her death stung, but now he had confessed that he was the leader of this group. Finally, she had discovered who was behind this whole mess. And now, Anna had a chance to stop him.

Anna could believe that they weren't behind the kidnapping attempt, but she knew that he was lying about their ties to Lucrania. Jocasta had clearly been working for the conspiracy. Anna could tell that he was trying to win her sympathies...why else would he tell her all of this? His men could shoot her right now. She might be able to dodge the bolts, but Drell didn't know that. As far as he was concerned, she was completely at his mercy.

"To finish answering your original question, we waited because we were still not certain which Princess was the Goddess. Both were now grown and well guarded. Any attempt on either of their lives was likely to fail, and would bring the wrath of both countries down upon us. The Order wanted to be certain of which was our true target before we acted. Elsa was the only one of the two with ice powers, but as history has shown us, the fulfillment of prophecies often defies the obvious."

"What made you decide?" Anna questioned.

Drell inclined his head slightly. "You. Mortals descended from gods have been known to both be capable of healing and possess ice magic, and that magic has a chance to be passed on to their children. But only a Goddess could pass on magic to a previously Ungifted mortal. No one has ever come into their abilities following the age of five, and as I trained you, it became clear to me that you were developing magical abilities at a rapid pace. Even before you first met Rapunzel. That left only one possible culprit. We struck during the Winter Solstice, and you know the rest."

Oh yes, she did.

"And you're the one responsible for the rebellion during the Summer Solstice?" Anna inquired. She had to gather as much information as possible before they acted.

"Yes. With our numbers diminished, I worked with Ambrose Durron to organize an uprising. I gave him access to knowledge of the guards' patrols and the keys to the Palace's armories. I also gave him my most powerful warrior-" he indicated Rohan- "For the assault. I did not sympathize with his cause, but I was willing to use it for the Order's ends."

Anna's mouth gaped open. "That...doesn't make sense. You fought during the rebellion! On our side."

He nodded. "Only Durron knew of my involvement. In the event that the attack failed, I could not risk my complicity becoming known. To the mercenaries, I was just another obstacle. I resolved to guard a friend, Lord Arald, a good man who knows nothing of my true affiliations. By sheer chance, we were cornered. The Queen herself intervened. I tried to call her back- both to prevent her from going off and turning the tide and to give me a chance to catch her by surprise. It didn't work."

Anna bit her lip thoughtfully. Drell hadn't spent much time alone with Elsa, and he had never been armed during those moments. With Anna herself, it was another story.

"You could have killed me anytime you wanted," the Knight pointed out. "Why didn't you just stab me in the back after a practice session?"

Drell grimaced. "Even if I succeeded, doing so would have exposed myself to the Queen. You were a powerful obstacle to our goals, but my position was too important for me to reveal myself. And...I never wanted to kill you."

The Knight sighed. There had been enough talk.

"So why tell me this?" she demanded. "You could kill me right now. Why not just get it over with?" Anna tensed, waiting for the bolts to fly, but Drell's accomplishes remained almost motionless.

"To offer you a choice. I know you are a good person, Anna. You want to do the right thing. As misguided as your efforts to protect Elsa were, they demonstrated your valor and loyalty. I do not fault you for your actions, damaging as they were. But now you have a chance to make up for your mistakes. Anna, the Queen has been using you from the beginning. The Goddess only desires domination; she does not love you. It is your looks and your powers that she appreciates. Once her strength has returned in full, sexual slavery will be the best you can hope from her. She will never treat you as an equal," he warned forcefully.

Anna said nothing.

"I can see it in your eyes; you believe what I have told you. Do you want to see humanity crushed underneath her feet? Once she attains full strength, there will be no stopping her. Her powers grow by the day; soon she will act to conquer the entire world. And if that happens, her divinity will be returned in full. How, exactly, we do not know. But the prophecy is clear. If Elsa gains dominion over the entire world, her former strength will be completely restored. Nothing on earth will be able to so much as wound her," Drell said.

The Knight stared at him, at a loss for words. There were still so many questions. Where had these gods come from, and where had they gone? Was Elsa truly one of them? And why exactly had she had these visions of the past? Did it have something to do with her connection to Elsa?

"Elsa has used you. Once your value as her protector is gone, she shall either toss you aside or keep you by her side as a slave. Humanity itself will be enslaved forever. The Order has failed; what you see before you is almost all that remains. You could save the world so easily, Anna. All you have to do is put your personal feelings aside," he intoned.

"You want me to kill her," the Knight said.

"Yes."

Anna took a deep breath. "I don't want to. But...I believe what you've said. I've had dreams...visions, that confirm you're telling the truth. I know your Order wouldn't have survived for long as it has, and sacrificed so much, if defeating the Goddess wasn't so important. For the sake of the world...I'll do it."

Drell shook his head sadly. "I wish I could believe you. But I'm afraid it will not be so easy." He turned to his men. "Bring him forward," the Arms Master ordered.

The masked prisoner was shoved forward by his captors, bringing him parallel with Drell. Seizing the captive by the arms, Anna's teacher reached down and removed the mask.

Gods...

"General Kale!" Anna gasped. Her constant adversary was kneeling in the snow, his eyes filled with utter fury. Only the gag that covered his mouth prevented a vicious stream of curses from cutting through the night.

"Yes. A few hours ago, he was taking a quick trip to the city. It was easy to neutralize him. Queens have protection. Generals are not so fortunate," Drell said.

The Knight's eyes widened. "And why is he..."

"A test," the Arms Master answered forcefully. "It will take far more than words to convince me that you are willing to betray the Queen. Kristoff is young and innocent, and we both know his death would not serve anyone. Kale, on the other hand, is a powerful warrior who could very well escape our grasp if left alive. His death would also destabilize the Castle, making it easy for you to eliminate the Goddess and escape unharmed."

"But..."

"Kill him," Drell said firmly. "I know who you are, Anna. You would only kill someone if you truly believed in the cause. Strike him down with the knife you are no doubt concealing in your sleeve, and I will be confident in your change of heart. Otherwise...well, I'm not a fool, Anna. You can't expect me to accept your word without proof. So do it. Right now. Give him a quick and easy death."

Anna's hands started trembling. Her bluff had been a desperate one, and she knew it had been too much to hope for that Drell would buy it. Evidently, he was a fanatic. But that didn't mean he was a moron.

Her eyes met Kale's. She could see something fierce in them. Was it fear? Or was he telling her to do it, to sacrifice him to gain their trust and take them down? Anna didn't know, and it didn't matter.

Drell was right.

"You got me," she admitted bitterly. "I won't kill an innocent, even if he is an ass. You're monsters! All of you! Elsa might very well be a reincarnation of a Goddess. So what? Just because she has power doesn't mean she's going to oppress humanity. Elsa would never do that! Even if she is a reincarnation, that doesn't mean she remembers her past! She doesn't even know she's a Goddess! You just fear what you don't understand. I saw what your Order did to the Goddess. You burned her to death! No, it was worse. You disintegrated her. And for what? Assuming control of a ravaged world that probably desperately needed some order? You-" she extracted her knife and pointed it at Drell- "Are nothing but a traitor. I will never betray Elsa, Goddess or otherwise. And she would never betray me."

Anna didn't think that Drell was completely wrong. Elsa could very well be a Goddess reborn. But while her traitorous mentor believed that the Queen remembered her past and endeavored to conquer the world to restore her powers, Anna knew that nothing was further from the truth.

The Arms Master's head fell. "I expected as much," he said bitterly. "I knew it was a pipe dream. I wanted to give you a chance. But I see where your heart lies, and we both know you're too dangerous to capture. With you out of the way, Elsa will be vulnerable, and your death might give us an opening to attack. I'm...sorry, Anna."

Tears forming in her eyes, the Knight looked up to the trees and gave a slight nod. "So am I," she murmured softly.

The first two arrows split through the night, slamming into Kale's two captors before they even realized they were under attack. By the time they crumpled to the ground, a third arrow had already sliced through the neck of one of the crossbowmen. Around him, the snow went red with blood in a sickening contrast.

Panic seized the ranks of her enemies, even as a stunned Drell ordered them to fire. Eight shots were launched in Anna's direction, but they were released in surprise and haste. Impressing even herself with her speed, the Knight dived to the right and avoided the bolts.

Overhead, the archers were firing again.

Anna would have been willing to sacrifice her life for Kristoff, but she had seen a way to sidestep the choice entirely. Just for once, she was the one who had the trap. The blizzard had provided her with the perfect opportunity. As soon as Evangeline had overcome her initial skepticism of Anna's story, the spymaster had agreed to position herself and two of her best archers high in the trees prior to the meeting. Clad in heavy white winter coats and mostly buried by falling snow, they were all but impossible to see during the night.

She was still risking her life, of course. But this way, Anna had a chance. And if they succeeded, the Queen's servants could accomplish far more than saving one man's life. The conspiracy would all but end.

If Anna and her allies survived.

Another round of arrows hissed through the air, killing two more crossbowmen and one of Kristoff's captors. Anna charged forward, raising her knife and hurling it at the ice-harvester's remaining guard. He crumpled to his knees the next moment.

Then Drell was coming at her from the right. The Knight was unarmed now, but she was far from helpless. As he thrusted at her torso, she leapt to the side and avoided the blow. Before he could even think about recovering, Anna lashed out with her fist and punched him in the chest. The impact carried him several feet through the air, but the snow cushioned his fall. She turned to the left-

Shit!

Three of the remaining crossbowmen were firing at her. Caught off guard, all Anna could do was sway her body to the right. Two of the projectiles swept by.

The third embedded itself in her left thigh.

Pain! Forcing herself to act, Anna gritted her teeth and extracted the bolt. Warm blood flowed onto her hands, but the bleeding was not as bad as it would have been for a normal woman. It hurt like utter hell, but she had not been dealt a mortal wound. Not yet.

The agony actually did her a favor. It consumed all of her mind's excess focus, preventing any flashbacks from materializing. Her brain had no time to conjure up images of the past when it was too busy processing the pain of the present.

A swordsman leapt forward, bringing his blade down in a vicious downward cut. Before the metal could reach her shoulder, the Knight's hand darted out and seized his wrist. Bringing her overpowering strength to bear, Anna redirected the momentum of his attack and forced the conspirator's weapon into his own gut. Paying no mind to his screams, Anna extracted the blade and claimed it for herself even as he collapsed into the snow.

Several feet away, Drell was beginning to recover. Kristoff, still masked, was wandering around all but helpless, but Kale had tackled a crossbowman to the ground. Despite his wrists still being tied together, the general was all but pounding the other man's face into the cold, hard ground.

Anna ran forward, ready to make the Arms Master pay for his treason. Emotionally, she wasn't prepared to kill him- not while his betrayal was still sinking in. It didn't matter; as the leader, he needed to be brought in alive if at all possible, and Anna was more than happy to knock him unconscious.

WHOOSH!

The next second, Anna was flying through the night on a powerful gust of air. Of course! The air mage- Rohan- was still alive and he...

Slam! Her body came to a hard stop and she crumbled against a tree trunk. Any normal warrior would have been knocked unconscious with a few broken bones at the very least. As it was, the Knight's entire body throbbed with pain- it was a growing chorus to accompany the powerful note of agony that still flared in her thigh.

Then he was standing over her, the air whipping around him as he moved as fast as Anna ever could. In his right hand was a long, thin blade that now angled for her prone body.

Her survival instincts kicked in. Anna's blade swept through the air; the two swords met an inch away from her side. Despite her awkward position, the Knight's strength was still far greater than his. Pushing his blade back, Anna forced him to jump away from her sweeping attack.

She climbed to her feet, the lake at her back now. Anna needed to finish her opponent off quickly...how long could she go on with this leg? The Knight charged forward-

WHOOSH!

Anna was flying through the air again. Then...cold!

Her body impacted painfully with the lake's freezing water. Only the fact that it was early in the winter saved the Knight from an icy death. Her sword slipped from her grip, but she managed to climb her way to the surface despite the painfully low temperatures that surrounded her. With two mighty strokes of her arms, Anna propelled herself to the opposite shore of the lake and waddled her way back onto solid ground. Shivers were sweeping through her entire body.

Anna's heart skipped a beat as she saw that Rohan was already running across the lake, his powers somehow keeping him aloft above the water.

Terror clenched at her chest. Could she win? Probably not- not with her injuries. And she wasn't even armed! No, Anna's best chance was to run...to lead him away from the ongoing battle and hope that Evangeline could pull through on her own.

Anna didn't like her odds. Judging by how quickly she'd seen him run, Rohan's top speed equaled hers on a good day. But now, she was wounded and freezing. He was not. Yet it was the only chance she had.

Panting heavily, the Knight turned in the opposite direction and began to run.


	60. Chapter 60

Evangeline was out of arrows.

Most of the enemy was dead, slaughtered by the almost impossibly fast shooting of herself and her two comrades. She had no doubt that the crossbowmen below were fine shots themselves, but it was difficult to hit a target one could not see.

The two prisoners were still alive, Kale having all but pummeled one of the crossbowmen to death with his bare hands. Evangeline had never liked the General, but even she had to be impressed with his ferocity. Meanwhile, Anna was gone- chased off by that air-mage. As much as the spymaster would like to attend to that situation, right now she had other problems to deal with.

For months, Evangeline had been nothing more than an utter failure. After years of successful service to her liege, she had proved utterly useless when Elsa had needed her most. None of her efforts had come close to unraveling the mystery of who was behind the conspiracy, and Evangeline had begun to worry that her ineptitude would get the Queen killed.

Then, out of the blue, Anna had shown up with a breakthrough. Incredibly, the leader of the conspirators had wanted to meet with her. It was the perfect opportunity for an ambush. Evangeline had been skeptical at first, but Anna had had no reason to lie. The Knight was a peasant girl in over her head, but she was also a brave warrior and unshakably loyal to her lover. That much was clear.

So the spymaster had agreed to her proposal. It was a risk to both herself and her men, but it was a chance worth taking. Anna would bare the brunt of the danger, and that was certainly worth a chance to ensure Elsa's safety once and for all. It had meant several hours of shivering in the trees, but the anticipation burning through her body had kept Evangeline completely warm.

Finally, she would put an end to this conspiracy. At last, Evangeline would fulfill her duty to her liege and end this threat once and for all. Thanks to Drell's weakness- his reluctance to kill Anna immediately- he had provided her with an opening that she was all too happy to exploit.

She was a faster shooter than her two allies, and so they still had several arrows in their possession. They were more than capable of finishing off the remaining conspirators. Evangeline herself could capture Drell, who had purposely not been targeted for fear of wounding him fatally.

The spymaster hurried through the darkness. Drell, having taken cover behind a tree trunk, turned around just in time to witness her sudden appearance. Drawing two long daggers from her belt, Evangeline leapt forward to engage him.

Drell met her charge furiously, deflecting a cut from one of her daggers and swiping at her head. Evangeline ducked nimbly, her hair bristling as his blade swung mere inches above it. She lunged forward, attempting to take advantage of the opening, but Drell was ready. He sidestepped the reach of her blades before striking out with his unarmed fist.

Evangeline's world was consumed by pain as she took his backhanded blow on her cheek. A hard kick at her legs and she crumpled to the ground. Her eyes focused just in time to see Drell...jumping at her with his sword angled for the kill! She rolled to the right, dodging his blow. Then, drawing on her decades of training and natural timing, swept her leg to the left.

Striking his wrist with the sole of her shoe, Evangeline knocked the sword from his hand.

Her head was still woozy; she lost precious seconds as she attempted to recover. Quick as a cat, Drell was on her again. His hands groped towards her throat, eager to choke the life out of her. Evangeline desperate caught his wrists in her own palms, but with his leverage and superior strength the traitor gradually pushed her arms back to the ground.

"You slaughtered them!" he hissed gruffly. "My brave men, brought down by three cowards hiding in the trees! At least Anna had the courage to meet me blade to blade. I do not want to harm her, but you..." Drell grunted, continuing to push her wrists down towards the snow. "You are going to die for what you've done."

The spymaster stared up at him. For months, she had searched for the traitor. Here he was, a man who she had almost daily seen with her own eyes. All this time, he had been right in front of her. She'd never doubted him, had always been polite to him...all the while he had schemed to murder her liege while greeting her with nothing less than a passive smile.

Rage coursed through her limbs. She had failed Elsa utterly, leaving the responsibility of defending the Queen to others. To allow Drell to kill her now would be to fail her liege yet again.

Evangeline had done enough failing.

Her chest catapulted off the ground. Drell, his efforts focused on pinning her arms, was taken utterly by surprise as her head slammed hard into his face. Evangeline's forehead exploded in pain but she relished the sensation. The traitor reeled backward; blood was running down his nose as his grip on her wrists ceased. She lashed out with her fist, hitting him hard in the jaw. He rolled off her completely.

Running through the darkness, the spymaster scooped up one of her daggers and pounced on her opponent. She slammed the heavy brass pommel into his head, and the traitor crumpled into the snow.

\

It was over. Drell had been captured and was safely secured. His allies had been decimated; only two had managed to escape. Evangeline yearned to pursue them through the woods, but pursuing them through a blizzard would have been a fool's errand.

Kristoff and Kale were free, standing off to the side and saying little. Both were alive and well. Kristoff's foot had been sprained during his capture, and he now leaned against a tree for support, but he would recover completely within a week.

Nearby, Evangeline was conferring with her two archers. Drell was lying at their feet, still unconscious with his wrists now bound. "Should we go after her?" one of her companions motioned to where Anna and Rohan had last been seen: across the lake.

Evangeline hesitated. She didn't like to take chances; there was no way of knowing whether Anna was still alive at this point. Yet sending her two men to search for them (she was too wounded to make the trip herself) would be risking both of their lives in this weather. And if Rohan was still alive and well, it was very possible that he would slit both of their throats.

"You have to!" Kristoff yelled. "Anna risked everything to give you a chance to take them down. You owe it to her to find her! What would the Queen say if she knew you left her to die?!"

The spymaster studied him curiously, considering his words. When it came to Elsa, Evangeline knew how important Anna was. If there was a chance that she still breathed, she owed it to her liege to seek out the Knight.

"I'm going," Kristoff muttered bitterly. Pushing off the tree trunk, he began to limp his way towards the lake.

Evangeline held out a hand to stop him. "Don't. You'll never find her on that leg, and I'll need you and Kale to help me take him-" she kicked Drell with her boot- "Back to the Castle. I can't lift him on my own." She turned to her archers. "Find her, but be careful in this weather," Evangeline gazed into their eyes meaningfully. "Don't take chances."

\

Anna couldn't run any longer. Her legs would simply not allow it. She'd been sprinting for several minutes, running at speeds no normal human could ever hope to achieve, but Rohan had stayed right on her tail.

Her muscles ached with so much pain that Anna wouldn't have been surprised if they were on fire. That might not have been such a bad thing, actually, considering that the rest of her body was freezing. Even if Rohan didn't get her, the cold might.

She fell to her knees. Anna didn't know how far deep they were into the forest, but she knew it was at least several miles. Far too away for help to arrive. Trees still surrounded her on all sides.

There was no use hiding; her clothes were far too conspicuous for Rohan to miss in the snow, and she had no time to climb into the trees. Running was no longer an option. Anna had no choice but to fight.

Rohan was a hundred feet away now. He slowed his speed to a walk, no doubt wary of any surprises. Anna needed a weapon. Any weapon. Still on her knees, she scrambled her lightly gloved fingers though the snow and came up with two icy snowballs.

Anna hurled one at his head with all her strength, but the pain from her wounds upset her aim. Caught off guard despite his caution, Rohan fell onto his back as her projectile slammed into the air-mage's chest.

Using the last of her strength, Anna ran forward. But Rohan returned to his feet instantly, gathering a blast of air and hurling it in her direction. This time, she was ready. The Knight dived to the side, avoiding the worst of the gust.

Her entire body cried out in pain from her movements. But Anna refused to stop. A year ago, despite her constant drive to live, the thief she had been would have yielded to the agony and fallen to her knees.

But she wasn't living for herself now. One thought above all kept Anna moving forward.

It wasn't her desire to see Elsa again and melt in her arms, strong though that desire was. It was something far more powerful. Anna was determined to survive, more than she had ever been throughout her entire life, because she wanted to spare her Queen the heartbreak of finding her body.

She charged forward. Panic alighting in his eyes, Rohan released yet another blast. This time, Anna was too close to dodge. She braced herself, drawing upon all her strength and forcing her weight forward. The Knight's charge was slowed, but the air did not press her back.

They were only several meters apart, close enough for a relative degree of accuracy. Her second snowball shot out of her hand, again aimed for Rohan's head.

And again she missed. But a vicious crack sounded through the air as the snow slammed against his sword arm. "Fuck!" Rohan screamed, stumbling back several paces as his blade fell into the snow.

Exultation rushed through Anna as she saw her opportunity. The Knight dived forward, rolling in the snow and coming up with her opponent's blade. She hurled it forward with all of her strength.

Rohan collapsed onto his back, the sword's blade lodged in his chest.

Anna stumbled forward, handling daring to believe that she had triumphed. Rohan's breathing continued to come in short desperate gasps, but judging by the cloud of red now spreading in the snow beneath him, he didn't have long. He was as fast as Anna, but he wasn't as durable.

"It's over," she sighed, falling to her knees. Her strength was gone.

The air mage laughed bitterly. "Thanks to you, it is. Humanity's time is over. Elsa's going to crush...crush us all." He paused, sputtering for air. "I suppose...I can't blame you. Loyalty to your Queen, a Queen who appears just...it's admirable. You don't deserve...deserve to see her rise. For your sake, I hope you die tonight."

"What?!" Anna demanded.

"If you...survive, someday you'll wish you died here, rather than suffer her...her betrayal. It would be a far kinder fate."

A final spasm of pain shot through his body, and Rohan collapsed further into the snow. Seconds later, Anna heard his last breath float into the air.

It was over; nothing was preventing her from returning to the Castle as a hero. Nothing except herself. The pain from her wounds was numbing her entire body, and the cold was doing the same. Anna couldn't help but let out an incredulous laugh at the irony. Her one true love...her Queen...practically was the cold. And now, the cold was going to kill her.

No!

Anna straggled over to a tree trunk, trying to latch her gloves onto the wood and hoist herself up...

She failed.

\

"Your Majesty!"

Elsa touched down just inside the Castle's outer gate, thoroughly relieved to be home after several hours of traveling. Unfortunately, the guards on duty at this section of the wall did not appear to share her good spirits. There stared at her as if she were a ghost.

"Yes?" she asked them calmly. The Castle had clearly not been attacked. What other situation could have them so worried? Yet they hesitated, as if fearing that the first man to speak would be struck down by a blast of her magic.

"Speak," she ordered. "Has something happened?"

\

Elsa ran through the halls as fast as her feet could carry her, paying not a thought to her royal dignity. No no no no no! This could not be happening! It...it was too much to take in all at once. Drell was a traitor, he'd been apprehended, his men had been wiped out...none of that mattered right now. Anna was missing! She was out there, somewhere in the snow-covered forest. Evangeline's men had been unable to find her.

It might already be too late; Anna wasn't immune to the cold. She could be...she could be...

The Queen didn't care that the conspiracy had been ended. The price had been far too high to pay. Nothing was worth Anna's life, not even the Queen's own. But why did the Knight have to be so stupid? Going out there, archers or not, had been all but a suicide mission.

It wasn't stupid. It was selfless. She did it for Kristoff...and for me. Always for me. No matter what I do, she's always sacrificing for me! It isn't fair! Hasn't she done enough...suffered enough? Why can't the world leave her the fuck alone?

Elsa was more than ready to tear apart the forest and search for her. Several patrols were already out there looking for the Knight. But there was something she had to check first. The Queen hoped against hope that Anna had thought to leave it behind. If she had, it would be in their bedroom.

She opened the door...and there it was! Resting on the bedside table was Anna's necklace, sparkling faintly in the glare of the late afternoon sun. Hope flaring within her chest, Elsa all but sprinted to it.

The necklace wasn't alone. Resting under it was a sealed envelope addressed to the Queen.

Quickly, the Queen placed the necklace in her pocket and reached for the letter. All but ripping the seal apart, Elsa hurriedly extracted the parchment and examined the words eagerly.

Elsa,

If you're reading this you know what's happened...what I've done. I know you would tell me to stay here, just as you know that I definitely wouldn't. I have a plan. If this works, Kristoff will be saved and the conspiracy ended. Hopefully Evangeline will believe me and agree to help.

I don't know what's going to happen. They could try to capture me, but I think they've learned from that mistake. They're probably going to try and kill me. Just in case they capture me, I've left you my necklace. You know what to do.

I've told you this a million times, but I'll never get tired of saying it. I love you Elsa. I love you so much that it hurts. You make my life worth living, and I'm not talking about the food and clothes (as wonderful as they are!) You are my life Elsa. For nineteen years, I never knew love, but the mere months I spent with you made it all worthwhile. If I don't make it tonight, it will still have been worth it. By a long shot.

You're a wonderful, amazing person, and the best Queen that the world has ever known. Never question that! You gave me a chance...letting me into your life when you hardly even knew me. I'm not talking about the reward for when I saved you; it was well thought out, but it had been earned. No, I'm talking about being willing to spend time with me...playing with me and having dinner with me. I was...am...a silly peasant girl, and yet the most powerful and beautiful woman on the planet thought I was worth something. You have no idea how much that meant to me.

If I don't make it, I have one dying wish. And I'll have earned it! So if something happens to me, don't blame yourself. Understand? I'm doing this to prevent further attacks on you, but I would also do it for Kristoff. I know that would be foolish, but I could never bring myself to abandon a friend. I think that's why you love me. But I'm the one doing this; it's my choice alone. And I'm the one who sent you off to the trolls, so you not being here is also my fault.

You'll miss me...cry for me, and I understand that. But don't think it's your fault, not for a second! There's nothing you could have done differently, and I'd be dead a dozen times over already if it wasn't for you! If I die tonight, I'll have lived a life that's worth living, and it's all thanks to you.

Tell Drell, Gerda, and Rapunzel that I said goodbye. They've all been good friends, loyal and helpful even when they didn't have to be. But I never would have met any of them if it weren't for you. I can't put it into words how much you mean to me Elsa, but I think you already know.

Love,

Anna.

\

The necklace was working. Elsa could feel it growing warmer as she flew deeper into the forest. That alone gave her hope, but she didn't know if the spell's continued power meant that Anna was still alive, or was leading her to a...

No! I refuse to think of it.

Anna wasn't immune to the cold. But she was strong, and much more capable of surviving than a normal person. Would it be enough? Elsa had talked with Evangeline for about ten seconds, just enough time to learn how long Anna had been out there.

The confrontation had taken place an hour after midnight. It was now roughly four in the afternoon. Anna had been out in the snow for over twelve hours. How could anyone survive that long?

She'll survive because she's Anna. Because she has to.

Anna was incredibly close. Elsa was several miles into the forest, and the sensation from the necklace was growing incredibly powerful. Letting the spell guide her, she glided down into the tress and swept her eyes around.

A body was lying face up in the snow, a sword lodged in its chest.

Elsa's heart raced so quickly that it nearly burst out of her breast before she realized that it wasn't Anna. In fact, she recognized him. It was the air-mage she had dueled during the night of the uprising, the one who had chased after Anna according to Evangeline. And Anna had killed him! That meant...she had to be alive! She had to be!

She didn't see anyone else. Save for the mage's body, the area was deserted. Yet the necklace was saying that Anna was here. Elsa darted around the small clearing, desperately looking for a sign.

Out of the corner of her eye, a bundle of snow lodged against a tree trunk moved slightly. Now, Elsa could see the flash of red that adorned it.

"ANNA!"

The Queen ran to the prone Knight, all but shoving the snow off of her back. Anna had been lying prone against a tree trunk, practically covered by the still falling snow. She took Anna off of the tree and laid the unconscious Knight gently on the ground, all the while unleashing her healing magic indiscriminately.

No! Gods...no no no no...

With trembling fingers, Elsa placed a hand atop Anna's breast. This couldn't be happening! There was nothing...then a pulse! It was faint, and now that Elsa could feel the beat, it was coming far more slowly than was normal.

But she was alive! Still firing her magic, Elsa laid her head on Anna's stomach and sobbed. If she still breathed, then she could still be saved. Elsa would not let the cold...her element, claim the person she loved more than any on this earth.

In a way, Anna had been lucky. She'd gone out with heavy winter clothing, and although the tree trunk had chiseled her skin, it had also shielded her face somewhat from the cold. Even so, Elsa was certain that a normal woman would not have survived such an experience.

It was on the flight back that the Queen realized how dire the situation truly was. Her joy at seeing Anna still breathe was steadily consumed by fear. The Knight was wounded in the thigh- pierced by a bolt of some kind. And Evangeline had mentioned that she had been thrown into the lake; getting wet made one much more susceptible to the cold.

Anna's gloves and boots had protected her from frostbite, but her skin was almost more blue than red. Her body felt terrifyingly cold. Elsa had never been threatened by hypothermia, but she knew how deadly it could be. And Anna was experiencing a severe case of it.

She continued to use her healing magic as she flew, trying to seal Anna's thigh wound. Elsa didn't know if her magic would be effective against hypothermia, but that would not stop her from trying.

I won't lose you, Anna!

\

They placed Anna in front of the fireplace in Elsa's bedroom, moving a mattress and several heavy blankets near the roaring flames and laying the Knight down upon them. Anna had continued to breathe during the flight back, but all that came out of her mouth were random light moans. Despite all of the Queen's efforts, she was still unconscious.

Sweat began to glean on the Knight's forehead, but her skin remained virtually blue. Her lips were nearly white. And although Elsa's magic had fixed some of the damage, the wound in her thigh remained ugly. It had begun to fester long ago; just looking at it caused Elsa to cringe.

Her mind kept going back to her vision: Anna lying dead in a cart. It wasn't exactly the same situation. The Knight had been lucky enough to escape frostbite, and rather than being a homeless orphan so destitute that a village healer would refuse to look at her, she was now for all intents and purposes a rich young woman with access to some of the finest physicians in the world.

And it might not be enough.

Elsa continued to blast her with magic, still not knowing if it was having any affect on Anna's hypothermia. At the very least, it was healing at least some of the damage in the Knight's thigh, and it gave the Queen the satisfaction of at least doing something. All the while, the Castle's best physicians surrounded the two women. Other than having removed Anna's wet clothing and replaced it with a warm set, however, there was little they could do to raise her body temperature.

Still, Anna continued to breathe. And as long as there was still breath in the Knight's body, Elsa's world had not yet ended.

Finally, the Queen heeded the advice of the Castle physicians and backed away for a brief amount of time. Unlike her ice magic, using her healing magic for long periods drained Elsa's energy. For a long session as this certainly promised to be, she needed to pace herself in order to remain viable. This at least gave the physicians the chance to apply some ointment to the festering wound and begin to stitch it up.

Next to her was Anton, the Queen's personal physician and the head of all medical professionals stationed in the Castle. Before he could give a report, Elsa rose to her feet and seized him by the shoulders.

"Save her, Anton. I don't care how long it takes or how much it costs, you will save her," she told him. There was no reason, after all, why they shouldn't be able to. Anna's main problem was her low body temperature. She was now surrounded by warmth. They couldn't fail!

Anton sighed sadly. "Your Majesty-"

In that moment, Elsa finally understood the situation. Anton's mournful, resigned tone made it all too clear. He wasn't concerned that there was a chance that Anna was not going to survive. He believed there was no chance at all.

"What?!" she roared at him. "Anna is cold. Warm her up! Is that so difficult?! What the hell am I paying you for if you can't do something as simple as raise her temperature!" Elsa shoved him a step back.

He stared into her eyes, his expression one of both sadness and exasperation. "I know this is difficult for you to understand, Your Majesty, as one who cannot feel the cold, but raising a body's temperature is not a simple process. She lives for now, but Anna is too far gone for our efforts to do any more than delay her passing. Frankly, I'm amazed she's lasted as long as she has. Her magic must give her body extra strength; that's the only explanation for her surviving the entire night.

The Queen shook her head, refusing to even acknowledge his words. "Then she might be strong enough to continue surviving!"

"I...I'm afraid not. I've dealt with hypothermia before, Your Majesty. Her wound sapped much of her body's strength, and the cold has stolen the rest. She's in the final stages. Her pulse is slowly but continuously weakening. Soon her heart will stop beating, and that will be the end. It's a trend that can't be reversed. Her body is simply out of energy, and nothing we do-"

CRACK! The floor around Elsa's feet splintered as ice spread out from under her shoes, growing dangerously close to the circle of physicians around Anna. With tremendous effort, she dissipated the ice but paid them little heed, only ordering them to continue their efforts with a glare that could kill.

This wasn't happening. Anna wasn't dying.

Elsa was the mistress of the cold; it had eagerly obeyed her every whim for over twenty years. And now, her own element had betrayed her. One of her favorite aspects of her life was about to steal the one person she loved above all others.

"Can't my magic help?" the Queen managed, struggling to keep the tears out of her eyes.

Anton shrugged helplessly. "We've observed that your magic can increase one's energy for a short period. I think it will be able to slow Anna's passing; her heart will not die quite as quickly. But you will just be delaying the inevitable."

No!

"I'm leaving, then," Elsa declared. "I'm going to Corona, a tear from Rapunzel is the only thing that might be able to save her. They only last a week before they lose their magic, but I'll be able to make it back to Arendelle by then."

"There is no time, Your Majesty. Judging by the rate of her decline, Anna likely has only hours before she passes. With your magic, you might perhaps be able to give her a day. By the time you were halfway to Corona, it would already be too late."

She knew he was right; it would be impossible to make it back on time. Instead, the Queen would blast Anna with every last drop of magic from her veins, and she would not stop until the Knight finally opened her eyes.

\

Anna was standing in a room, surrounded by several solemn individuals. She had been there for what felt like hours, listening to their morbid conversations. It took her some time to realize what was happening, but eventually her consciousness pieced the facts together. This was another vision. Right! She had just learned that her weird dreams were actually visions! But she couldn't remember how, or from whom.

Her memory of the entire world was a blur. She could faintly remember was that she was close to a woman named Elsa, and that there was something important that she had to tell her. What was it?

The only other thing she knew was that she had these visions when she was sleeping. That meant that Anna was currently unconscious. Yet the girl sensed that this was not the entire story. She wasn't in the middle of a peaceful sleep. Something had happened...something terrible.

"The prophecy can mean only one thing," a woman was saying. "The Goddess will return, and there is nothing we can do to prevent that," she affirmed. "Long after we die, she will take a human host."

Right, Elsa was a Goddess!

A man to her left slammed his fist down in frustration. "So after all our work, humanity is doomed?!" he demanded. "All we've done is buy time before the inevitable. Imagine her wrath when she reincarnates."

"No," another man interjected. "The prophecy makes clear that she will return. But it does not state for certain that she shall be victorious; our spy assures us that the transcripts he has seen all say the same thing: If her domain covers the entire earth. That uncertainty means that she can be stopped."

The woman shook her head sadly. "But not by us. We'll be long dead by the time she rises."

"She will be stopped," the second man replied. "And we will stop her. Perhaps we cannot oppose her personally, but we can keep the resistance alive. We shall impart our knowledge and our mission to our children, and they will do the same to their children. We will take steps to keep the magical bloodlines alive. Through our descendants, we will..."

His words faded out. No, more accurately, Anna was fading out. She could feel herself growing weaker, her connection to reality slipping away. This time, once she fully faded, Anna somehow knew that she would not simply wake up. Her body was growing airy...her awareness dimming. And once it was gone, her existence in the waking world would be extinguished as well.

\

"Thirty beats per minute. She's weakening, Anton. I give her three more hours at most," a physician intoned.

It was almost midnight, several hours after Elsa's return, and the Queen was utterly exhausted. She'd been using her magic on and off for hours, and the effort was draining her completely. It didn't seem to be doing the reverse for Anna.

"Your Majesty, I do not know which religion Lady Anna adheres to, but if it involves Last Rites of some sort, you may want to consider-" Elsa cut him off with a desperate, almost manic stare. She could sense the surprise of those around her. Their poised, dignified Queen was behaving like a lunatic.

The Queen gave a half sigh, half sob. "Anna has no religion. The world's been so cruel to her...she never had reason to believe. And neither do I. I'm going to...I can't lose her!" she increased her output of magic desperately, but her power had no effect.

Her physicians said nothing; they were just as helpless as she was. Elsa's brain was scrambling for options, but she could come up with none. Their current course was doing nothing save slowing down Anna's passing. Yet what else was she to do? The trolls were too far away, even if they had any magic that could help with hypothermia. Rapunzel, the Queen was sure, could save Anna, but for all the distance between them they might as well be on different planets. The Castle's medical staff could offer her no other alternatives.

Gradually, her head began to accept what her heart still could not. Anna was going to die. By sunrise she would have passed away, leaving nothing behind but a diamond necklace and a weeping Queen. Religious fundamentalists across the kingdom would shout for joy, proclaiming her death a just punishment from an affronted god. The rest of the citizenry would offer a sad shrug before moving on with their lives.

And Elsa's life would no longer be worth living.

Her eyes traveled to her fingertips. It would be so easy. There was even a poetic irony to it. Anna would be killed by the cold. Elsa herself couldn't freeze to death, but she could still be killed by ice. All she would have to do is lay her hands upon her chest and will a spike of ice to come to spring to life. The Queen would be killed almost instantly, joining her lover in death.

Yet even that was too much to hope for. Anna would never have condoned suicide unless it was a sacrifice to save another. To kill herself would be to shame the Knight's memory, and Arendelle would be the worse for it.

Her mind reeled, trying to come to grips with what was happening. Anna, who had become a pillar of her life...no, who had become her life, would never speak to her again. Elsa would never again hear the Knight's adorable laugh, or see her bite her lip in frustration. Never again would she be blessed with the gift that was Anna's smile. They would never again go skating together, eat together, or play together. Elsa would be alone until the day she died. No one would ever be sitting on the other side of the checkerboard.

Tomorrow, Anna would be buried alongside other Knights of the realm, inside the Royal Cemetery. She would be remembered as a hero, but that was all. Eventually, when Elsa's name would be etched in the history books for children to read about centuries from now, Anna would be completely forgotten. Her only mark on history would be a single unvisited grave in a cemetery among hundreds of others.

And Queen Elsa would live her entire life without ever taking a husband or wife. The Coronan line would again take over rulership of Arendelle. No matter how many came before her to seek her hand, none of them would ever measure up to the homeless thief she had found robbing her purse.

Why did I wait so long? I want to remember her as my wife. That's how she deserves to be remembered.

Maybe it wasn't too late! As a sovereign monarch, Elsa could marry any two adults...including herself. Anna would have agreed, she knew that. All she needed was to say the vows...and a ring.

Elsa knew where to find one, and her magic needed a break regardless. She leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on Anna's forehead. "I'll be right back, Anna," she promised as she rose to her feet.

There was no response.

\

She walked through the halls quickly, heading for the Royal Vault. It would be a stretch to say that this idea made her happy. Elsa's world was still a torrent of misery, and it would remain that way for a long, long time. But the idea of marrying Anna gave her purpose. This way, the Knight would be remembered as the royalty she deserved to be, and Elsa would have the honor of calling Anna her wife.

It would be an unorthodox ceremony, but it would be lawful. It was a legal remnant of ages past, but one of the monarch's powers was to marry any two individuals without a show of consent. It was a law designed to make arranging marriages among the nobility easier, something that the crown had not done for over a century. Making her way past the guard detail and into the vault, she opened her mother's jewelry box and retrieved her wedding ring. It had been left behind before their last voyage, out of fear that it would slip off her finger and fall into the sea.

Maybe they'll meet Anna in the afterlife. I wonder what they'll think of her? At the very least they can all have an illuminating discussion about how Elsa loses everyone she loves.

A ring was required. Arendellian tradition required that the groom place the ring on the bride's finger during the ceremony. Given that she was the higher ranking of the two, as well as the only one who was conscious, Elsa designated herself the groom.

She stared into the diamond, allowing her mind to digest the situation. This was it. Elsa was choosing a partner for the rest of her life. And the Queen intended to stick to that promise. Anna would be the first and last woman she ever married. The only person she ever loved romantically. No matter how attractive she found any woman in the future, the Queen would never pursue them.

It was worth a precious few hours of having Anna as her wife.


	61. Chapter 61

The world around her continued to fade; with every passing second her connection to reality grew more tenuous. Indiscriminate, blurry shapes had replaced the people and furniture around her. Any spoken words were so faint to her ears that they might as well have not been said. And, even if she had been capable of hearing what was said, none of it would have meant anything to her.

She didn't even know who she was anymore. All of her memories had faded completely; save for a lingering image of a beautiful woman with platinum blond hair and a warm smile. Despite all of her efforts, she couldn't place a name on that woman, or remember why she was important.

All she knew was that she was fading away. Just like her thoughts, her body was slowly dissolving...becoming just as airy and indiscriminate as the world around her. Soon, it would dissipate completely, and that would be the end of her.

For some reason, she felt sad.

\

Evangeline sat in her office, doing her best to write down everything Drell had said. Her memory was keen, but the spymaster couldn't let any potential leads go to waste. The head of the snake may have been captured, but there was likely more than one conspirator who continued to plot. Anna had killed many throughout her adventures, and even more had been slaughtered the previous night, but Evangeline wouldn't rest until every last one was brought to heel.

She needed to speak with the Queen as soon as possible, but Elsa remained by Anna's side. If only her men had found her sooner...the girl's fate remained precarious. Anna had advantages that most women did not, but it was hard to imagine that anyone save Elsa herself could survive twelve hours lying unconscious in the snow.

Damn it all to hell! Right now, she had more important things to deal with. Drell was imprisoned in the cellar, isolated from most human contact. Only a few individuals currently knew about his betrayal. Even with proof, the announcement that a respected Arms Master was a traitor would cause an unpredictable reaction throughout much of the Castle, particularly amongst the soldiers. It was imperative that the Queen be focused and ready to respond to any complaints or concerns when the truth became widely known, and right now that was clearly not a possibility.

Which also meant, unfortunately, that his interrogation would have to wait.

"Milady?"

The spymaster looked up to see a messenger standing in her doorway. Not betraying any hint of rising emotion, she nodded for him to step through the threshold. In his hands was a large envelope marked with an elaborate royal seal.

"Yes, I'll take that," she accepted the invitation from his hands and sent him on his way. It was common protocol for Evangeline to handle correspondence to the Queen when Elsa herself was indisposed, and this was clearly one of those times.

Evangeline calmly opened up the letter.

Queen Elsa,

I will not mince words. King Gustav of Eldora...my father...has passed. He died in his sleep three days ago, brought down by the heart problems that have plagued him for the past three months. This is a time of tremendous grief, both for myself and my nation, but Eldora still requires a ruler. Despite my pleas, my mother has insisted that the crown pass to me, and although I am barely of age, I have no choice but to accept.

His funeral was a private affair, but for the sake of tradition my coronation will be a different matter. Eldora has therefore invited many heads of state and their entourages to witness my ascension, which is to occur on the last day of the next month.

Please do not mistake my lack of enthusiasm for disrespect, Elsa. Arendelle has proven itself a dependable and invaluable trading partner to my small nation, and you have my personal appreciation for the extra ice you created and shipped to us the previous year. Likewise, your promise of military protection, while thankfully unnecessary so far, remains a great gift.

I know it is a week's journey, but I hope you will choose to attend. I do not relish this time of mourning being interrupted by a dozen foreign delegations, but your presence would be a most welcome exception. It would be a strong show of support by an ally, and I am eager to speak with you again.

May the Sun Light Your Way,

Princess Marisol

Evangeline stared down at the letter, thinking back to the last time she had had contact with the Eldorans. It had been at Elsa's coronation, over six years ago, and the Eldoran delegation had been a noteworthy addition to the ceremony. Arendelle and Eldora did not quite share the close relationship that the former did with Corona, but over the last few decades they had become steadfast partners nonetheless. Eldora needed ice. Arendelle lusted for the spices found in tropical regions. Thus, an agreement had quickly been forged between the two nations.

Elsa, the spymaster remembered, had spoken briefly with the Princess during the latter's stay in Arendelle. Like Marisol, Elsa had been quite averse to hosting hundreds of foreigners so soon after her parents' demise...which was probably why the soon to be Queen had seen fit to mention it in her letter. Evangeline distinctly remembered overhearing a few words of support as Marisol had offered her comfort to Elsa, and now the Princess likely hoped for a few in return.

It would be a stretch to say that the two women were close friends...they had only met a handful of times. But Elsa had never had much opportunity to speak with women her age, and (if the spymaster remembered correctly) the two had shared a tray of tea once or twice. Evangeline had even noticed a few...risqué glances on Elsa's part towards the younger Princess, even if they had only been driven by subconscious impulse.

The spymaster had suspected Elsa's true sexual leanings long before the Queen herself had realized them, but Evangeline had known it was not her place to discuss the matter with her liege. Still...in many ways they were similar.

Evangeline had lost the one she'd loved. Elsa might be about to go through the same thing.

\

"Leave us for a moment," the Queen spoke to Anton and the other physicians. There was nothing they could do for Anna now, and this moment deserved to be private. To her surprise, the group nodded solemnly and left the room without a hint of protest.

They know there's nothing they can do. They think I want to say goodbye.

Fresh tears dripped down Elsa's cheeks, and the young monarch stifled yet another sob. This...this couldn't be happening! Much of Elsa still refused to accept it. Only her drive to claim Anna as her wife prevented the Queen from falling to the floor and curling up in a ball.

She approached Anna's bedside. The Knight was still breathing, but even slower now. Her skin was still a sickly blue; if anything it had gotten even worse. Her lips...they were stark white. Simply seeing her consort in such a state filled Elsa with almost unbearable amounts of love and pain in equal measure, but the Queen forced herself to press on.

Elsa had heard Anton and his assistants talking as she'd approached the room. They'd been almost certain that Anna had less than an hour left.

Gods, Anna. I'm so so sorry...this isn't fair. She doesn't deserve this! In that moment, Elsa would have given anything...anything, to take Anna's place on that deathbed. She would have quickly traded her own life, her Castle, even her entire kingdom to save her loved. Her father would be ashamed of her, but for all Elsa was concerned Arendelle could go to hell if it meant that Anna could open her eyes.

No, I can't abandon my kingdom. It's my duty...and Anna would never forgive me if I did.

Elsa could not let the end of her prosperous reign be Anna's legacy. Ruling Arendelle had always been a burden, and from now on it would be outright painful. Yet it was worth honoring Anna's memory.

She knelt down on one knee before the dying Knight. Despite her grief, the words came easily.

"Anna, you are everything to me. Every moment spent at your side is a gift I can never repay. After five years of emptiness...you gave me love again. I..." she stopped as a sobbed wracked through her.

"I've wanted...want...to spend the rest of my life with you. I've known that for a long time. I hesitated, wanting to wait until everything was stable, and that will be forever remembered as the greatest mistake of my entire life," she revealed as her freely flowing tears began to drop to the floor. "Kai and Gerda...they said you would have been willing to marry me. And now, all I can do is fulfill your last wish. I am unworthy, Anna. There is no one on this earth worthy of you. But I know this is what you would have wanted, and all that matters to me is your happiness."

Elsa paused, taking a deep breath. To be official, an Arendellian marriage ceremony required two things: the groom to place a ring on the bride's finger, and for the two of them to kiss as the ring was still worn.

If not for her overpowering grief, the absurdity of the situation would have made her laugh. She, the Queen of Arendelle...the most powerful woman in the world, was marrying a former peasant with only minutes to live. Princes, nobles, and even Kings had sought her hand, and yet it was about to go to someone who now had literally nothing to offer.

She doesn't have to offer anything. She's given so much already.

"Anna, as is my right as Queen of Arendelle, I declare us united in holy matrimony for as long as...as long as we both shall live," she intoned tearfully, placing the ring on Anna's finger. It looked beautiful on her.

Elsa leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Anna's stark white lips.

/

Almost gone...she was almost gone. Her entire body had all but faded into the air. This was the end of her.

She didn't have a body. She didn't have a mind. They were gone...if they had ever even existed in the first place.

It didn't matter now. Her emotions fading, she allowed calm to wash over her as she dissolved into nonexistentance.

She was nothing. She was...

BANG!

A blast of light filled the world, shining for just an instant but illuminating more than a thousand suns could ever hope to reveal. And as it faded, pain exploded throughout her body.

She had a body! So all consuming was the thought that she barely even registered falling to her knees in shock.

Around her, the world was beginning to solidify. Everything was still a blur, but she no longer felt that she was going to fall through the floor.

Her entire form reappeared, almost completely solid and whole. Mist still trailed off the surface of her flesh, but her arms and legs had stopped dissolving. And her memories...

My name is Anna. I am a citizen of Arendelle...the personal Knight and lover of Queen Elsa. I have to tell her that she...she's a goddess reincarnated! I was dying. Am I still dying?

"Listen to me," intoned a deep yet feminine voice. Anna's head lifted up in shock. There, imprinted on the room's ceiling was an apparition of a woman with light brown hair and olive colored skin. Her green eyes shown with concern.

What the hell?! It was as if this woman was there, but not. It almost looked as she was standing on the opposite end of a portal through which Anna was looking into, obscuring much of the ceiling overhead. On either side of the woman stood two massive walls of red brick that went beyond the apparition's vision.

"Who are you?" Anna demanded. One thing was for certain: the two of them had never met before.

The other woman's head shook slightly. "There is little time, and there are several things you must become aware of before you wake. I only hope that your mind will remember them."

"Am I going to die?" the Knight asked.

For the first time, the olive skinned woman smiled slightly. "When the gods ruled your realm thousands of years ago, it was not only their children who were granted access to magic. The mortals chosen as their consorts were rewarded with powerful magic of their own...magic like the abilities you have now possessed for several months. You thought it was the product of Elsa's healing magic constantly being bestowed upon you, but..."

"I have magic because I'm Elsa's consort?" Anna's mind was still operating below its normal speed, and information such as this would have had even Elsa's head spinning.

"Yes. This phenomenon was weaved into the fabric of magic by our King at the insistence of several lesser gods; it was a spell that took him many years to perfect," the other woman explained. "As romantic affection and attachment between a god and a mortal grows, the mortal becomes steadily more powerful...eventually gaining immortality."

Anna's jaw dropped. "I'm immortal?!"

"No. Elsa possesses only a shadow of her true strength, and she herself is not even immortal. If she were at her true power, you would also be far stronger. Yet even this tiny fraction of what you would otherwise possess has granted you abilities far beyond your fellow mortals," the goddess (she was certainly a goddess) answered.

"It wasn't enough power to keep me from getting killed," Anna pointed out. Ordinarily, she would be extremely interested in this goddess's words, but right now she really wanted to know whether or not she was going to live.

The goddess frowned. "It was not," she agreed. "Yet in the last few minutes, your strength has grown. Elsa has decided to fully accept you as her consort. Even now, she proposes marriage..."

"She's marrying me?!" Anna couldn't help but jump up and down in joy. Finally, they would be committed to one another forever. The Knight would never again have to doubt that she wasn't worthy of her Queen. Oh my gods...I'm getting married! ...And it sounds like I'm going to live! That's good too...

Again, the goddess offered her a small smile. "Yes. Now that she has chosen you completely, your magic has grown to the point where your body is strong enough to fight off your hypothermia. And, judging by your reaction, you are accepting her proposal. A consort's magic only grows to its most powerful once both parties have chosen one another completely. If Elsa was at full strength, you would now be immortal. And even though this is not the case, you've grown strong enough to survive your current injury."

"Yes!" Anna hopped high into the air again, utterly exhilarated. Her head reached within inches of the portal.

The goddess paled. "Stop! You must not pass through the veil! Once you pass into the Realm Beyond, you can never return to this world...consort of a goddess or otherwise. This portal is only a one-way door, constructed only so that I could contact you."

Landing on the ground, Anna nodded. "Got it. But how come you've..."

"Never contacted you before?" the goddess asked. "Our King transported all gods and goddesses through a rift into this realm, the realm of the deceased, where the rebels could be more easily controlled. We can see everything that happens in your realm, but none of us are capable of returning to it, not even our King. As I said, none who pass through these walls can ever return. The only reason I can even contact you is because you are so close to death that you have drifted near this realm."

Anna frowned. "But why did you...I mean, didn't we win? I thought this was all over."

With a sigh, the goddess shook her head. "If you do not heed what I will reveal to you now...or fail to remember it, disaster the likes of which you have never imagined will soon strike. I cannot see the future, but it is easy to predict where your current path will lead."

A pang of dread cut at the Knight's heart.

"Fear not. As long as you are made aware of the truth, you and your Queen will have nothing to worry about. You likely have thirty minutes before you wake, and we have wasted enough time dawdling. So...listen closely," the goddess intoned.

Anna obeyed, and over the next twenty-five minutes, she learned all that she would ever need to know. The other woman could see everyone and everything on earth through her position in the Realm Beyond, and every bit of information she passed onto the Knight was crucial.

The longer she spoke, the greater Anna's terror grew. At first, despite her glee at finding out she was going to live as a married woman, she had been unnerved. Knowing how close she had come to death, closer than ever before, had put her on edge. The goddess had never said it directly, but it was clear to Anna that if Elsa had hesitated for even another few minutes in choosing to marry her, it would have been too late. No matter how strong her connection to Elsa became, nothing would have been able to bring her back from the realm of death.

But by the end of their conversation, death ranked low on her list of fears. What had been set in motion...it was too awful to even think about. Death was nothing compared to what would come to pass if she failed to heed the goddess's warnings.

I can't let that happen!

\

Elsa was only millimeters away from Anna's lips when she heard a slight intake of breath.

The utterly shocked Queen pulled back, staring at the dying Knight. Anna was still unconscious, and for a moment Elsa feared that her brief flare of hope had been a cruel illusion.

Then she noticed the slight rising and falling of Anna's chest.

Anna!

She lowered her ear to the Knight's body. There! Her heart was beating slowly, but noticeably faster than it had before...and perhaps it was starting to increase in speed. Raising herself up to stare at Anna's skin, Elsa couldn't help but think that it had gained a degree of its color back. And was it just her imagination, or were Anna's lips no longer completely white?

"Anton!" Elsa called.

Before the physicians could run back into the room, the Queen's eyes fell to the ring recently placed on Anna's hand. Should she remove it? Elsa had completely committed her heart to Anna, but if the Knight was indeed going to live...this wasn't the right time for them to get married. To be sure, it was not that the Queen herself wasn't ready for the commitment; she wanted nothing more than to call Anna her wife.

But Anna deserved a real marriage...one she was actually conscious for. And, since their lips had not met, it would still be authentic. They were not yet married. Just before Anton and his aides walked into the room, Elsa reluctantly removed the ring and placed it in her pocket.

It was a painful thing to do. Still, the Queen did not want Anna to think that she had been proposed to only because she was on her deathbed, and that meant letting no one know that this proposal had ever happened. Anna needed to know that Elsa was asking for her hand because the monarch wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together, not because she simply wanted to give Anna a place in the history books.

If Anna survived, Elsa vowed to propose to her within the month.

\

The first thing Anna heard was the crying.

She opened her eyes only to see a field of white. Or, more accurately, see a field of platinum blond. Elsa's head was resting on her chest; the Queen's face was all but buried in her shirt. From her limited field of vision, the Knight gathered that she was lying near the fireplace in their room.

"Elsa?"

The Queen's head snapped up so quickly that Anna feared that the monarch's neck would crack. For a moment, the two women simply stared at one another, their eyes expressing what words never could. Then Elsa was leaning down, claiming Anna's lips in a kiss not of passion, but of love. The Queen's arms wrapped around her, seizing Anna into the tightest embrace she had ever experienced.

Anna's arm reached around for the Queen's back. Twirling her fingers, she drew soothing circles into the Queen's skin. She could feel Elsa's tears dripping onto her cheeks; the Knight's own soon joined them. Love and relief swept through her in equal measure. She was alive.

Her memory was a little hazy. She remembered the meeting with Drell, his revelations about Elsa's divinity, the fight alongside Evangeline's archers, and her clash with Rohan. But there was little she could recall beyond that. The very last thing she remembered was trying to claw her way up a tree and out of the snow. After that…absolutely nothing.

For a moment, her happiness faded as a strange sense of foreboding rose deep within her. Was there something she had failed to remember? It was a strange feeling...like she was grasping at the remnants of a forgotten dream. Or nightmare.

Then the sensation was gone, and all of her worries with it. Elsa was holding her, and that was all that truly mattered.


	62. Chapter 62

Elsa hadn't let go of her for hours. The two of them were still spooning on a mattress in front of the fireplace; Anna was still too cold to go anywhere else. They were alone for the moment, the royal physicians having left the room to give them privacy, but at least one medical professional was waiting nearby. The Queen was adamant that the staff be ready to assist Anna on a moment's notice.

"You don't have to stay here," the Knight protested weakly. Elsa and heat didn't mix. The Queen was sweating noticeably, and the warmth from the flames was clearly making her uncomfortable. She could have cooled down the temperature, of course, but Elsa wasn't taking any chances where Anna was concerned.

The Queen's only response was to tighten her hug.

Anna was certainly enjoying her Queen's love and attention. She always did. Unfortunately, the Knight also knew that there were many serious matters that required Elsa's attention, not the least of which was dealing with his betrayal.

"Elsa, you need to-"

"I'm here as long as you're here," the Queen promised. "It's going to take a full scale invasion to drag me away from you," she whispered to the wounded Knight. Despite all that had happened, Anna couldn't help but let out an amused laugh.

She turned around to face her lover...ignoring the spasm of pain that came as a result. "Elsa, I love being your favorite subject, but I'm not your only subject," Anna reminded her. "I'm going to be fine; Arendelle needs you."

Even through the Queen certainly knew she was right, it still took several minutes for Elsa to finally sigh reluctantly. "Fine; I'll be gone for twenty minutes. That's it. I'll have Anton come and watch you. You need anything...food, water, me...tell the staff and they'll get it for you straight away. Don't hesitate to ask for something; you're injured and they're servants and this is their job. Understand?"

It would be entertaining to watch Elsa lose her usually unflappable demeanor if only the Queen's loss of composure hadn't been brought about by a near death experience. "Of course. Now please, go spend a few minutes running the most powerful nation on earth." Anna would have gladly gone up and walked with her, but the doctors estimated that it would be at least a few days before she would be strong enough to walk.

Considering that they didn't even comprehend how she was alive, Anna had found the capacity within her to take the news in good spirits. For now.

"Arendelle is fine for the moment," Elsa replied. "But Evangeline needs to speak with me, and apparently it's urgent." She sighed. "I appreciate her efforts helping you, but I wish she could have picked a better time to talk. It doesn't sound like she has news of any imminent threat."

Anna's face paled. She had wanted to delay this talk until both of them were in a better emotional place...and she was strong enough to raise herself off a mattress. Despite all the time they had spent together, Anna didn't know how well the Queen was going to take the news about her being a divine being. Yet that was almost certainly what Evangeline wanted to discuss, even if she (unlike Anna) had no proof to back up the conspirator's claims.

Still, if Elsa was going to learn this from anyone, it should be her.

"Wait, before you talk to her...there's something I have to tell you. It's, uh, pretty big. Maybe you should sit down for a few more minutes." Despite the ominous tone of Anna's words, Elsa smiled before sitting back down in front of her. It gave the Queen an excuse to remain in the room.

The Knight bit her lip, mentally debating how to proceed. Should she slowly work up to the truth, or just be blunt and get straight to the point? Of course, Anna being Anna, the longer she held off from being direct, the more likely she was to ramble.

Blunt option it was.

"Elsa, I promise you that this changes nothing between us. You're a selfless, heroic Queen who would never do anything to hurt an innocent being. No matter what, I know that for certain. I'm not sure if you ever suspected this, or knew it...I don't think you did." Seeing the lines of worry begin to appear in the Queen's face, Anna forced herself to regain coherency. "I love you, and this does absolutely nothing to make me want to be with you. If anything, it just makes you more awesome. Anyway, Elsa, you're a, uh, a Goddess."

There, Anna thought with a sigh of relief. The truth was out, and it couldn't be taken back.

"Excuse me?" Elsa demanded.

Of course, there was still a lot of explaining to do. "The reason Drell and his people were trying to kill you," Anna began. "They think that you're the reincarnation of a Goddess. The last Goddess who had been left on earth after a civil war, actually. She was in power for a while, but her human followers turned on her and all but destroyed her with a sneak attack coupled with a powerful spell. But you can't actually destroy a Goddess, so her essence was scattered to the wind. A prophecy predicted that it would find its way into a human infant two thousand years later. It's been two thousand years, and you...fit the description."

The Queen stared at her as if she had gone mad. "I'd better call Anton," Elsa decided. "Your fever's acting up."

"It's true, Elsa! Evangeline will tell you the same thing. Drell told me all of it. But I know something that Evangeline doesn't. Which is...they're right. I mean, they're wrong about you retaining your memories and planning on taking over the world again...they think that too, by the way...but you are a Goddess."

Elsa was silent for a few moments. "How?" she asked simply.

"Ever since we've met, I've had some very weird yet coherent dreams. Four of them, to be exact. One: the end of the Gods' civil war. Two: the goddess's followers destroying her...which was barbaric. Three: the goddess remaining on earth thanks to a barrier of ice as the rest of her kind was banished. Four: the prophecy being told by a human Seer. I mean, I only heard parts of it, but still. I'd assumed they were just strange dreams, but each one correlated exactly with Drell's account of the past, even though I never mentioned them at all to him," Anna explained.

The Queen shook her head. "No. I'm sorry Anna, but you have to just be imagining things. Even if those things were true, why would you be having those visions? Shouldn't I be the one having them?"

Chewing her lip, Anna thought it over. "Maybe," she agreed. "But remember, you've been pumping your magic into me for months. Even if we don't understand how, we know that my magic comes from yours. There's a magical link between us; that's probably why I can see the past. It was just like the vision you had of Norgate...I remember it completely and it made total sense."

Elsa's eyes fell to the floor. "Anna, I don't know." She replied indecisively.

"Think about it," the Knight replied thoughtfully. "Your magic is more powerful than any recorded in history, and it's certainly stronger than what anyone we've encountered is capable of. You even gave me magic, and I'm probably more powerful than anyone we've met except for you. And out of all of us, you're the only one who has more than one ability."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"Elsa, you asked me to trust you about your vision of Norgate. Now I'm asking you to trust me when I say that I've had visions. I'm ninety-nine point five percent certain that you're a Goddess. When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense," Anna noted. The Queen's incredible powers, Anna's visions, the fanatic conspiracy desperate to bring Elsa down, and the Knight's own abilities...they all led to the same conclusion.

"I'm not immortal, Anna," the Queen pointed out.

"Yeah...there's an explanation for that too," Anna admitted. "The prophecy said that you would be reincarnated 'weaker in body'. Obviously, you haven't regained your full powers. It also said...and this is why they want to kill you...that you'll get them back when your domain covers the entire world. So, if you conquer the world, you'll become a full Goddess again."

Elsa looked at her skeptically. "Are you saying they have a point?" she questioned.

Anna shook her head hurriedly. "Of course not. I'm saying that I believe that they believe what they say they believe. Meaning, I think they're telling the truth. The only point I think they're wrong on is that you retain your memories, and that you were an evil Goddess. They're fanatics, traitors, and reactionaries, but I don't think they're insane lunatics."

Using all her energy, she leaned forward and took the Queen's lips in a soothing kiss. "None of this matters. I love you more than anything and I know you're not evil. Still, we should probably keep this just between us...no sense in scaring anyone else. Or encouraging them to build churches to you, which I doubt you'd like."

Elsa finally offered her a wry smile. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted to be my high priestess?"

The Knight frowned. "True," she agreed. "How about we make a church, but don't tell anyone else and just keep it between the two of us? You the Goddess, and I your one, utterly devoted follower. That way, I'll have you all to myself." You know what, maybe that's not such a bad idea...

For a moment, the Queen's light laughter rang around the room. "Maybe," she said with a wink. "But you're right, this should stay between us. Evangeline and her men may have heard what Drell said, but there's no point in letting on that he's not entirely wrong."

Warm relief swept through Anna. Elsa seemed to be believing her, and she was taking the revelation well, all things considered.

"It's a shame, though," the Knight said half-seriously. "Obviously, taking over the world would cause chaos and be very wrong...but I would have enjoyed seeing your powers at full strength."

Elsa nodded, staring out at the window thoughtfully. "You and me, ruling Arendelle together as immortals. It doesn't sound too bad, does it? I think our citizens might actually come around to it. Unfortunately, the rest of the world definitely wouldn't." Anna dipped her head in agreement. Elsa probably could conquer the world using her powers alone...no army could stand against them. But countless millions would probably die resisting, and the citizenry across the world would always see her as a foreign conquer. And the reaction from the world's churches...gods.

"It's just...sad. Of course, I'm glad that the conspiracy appears to have been quashed, but...it was all so pointless in the end," the Queen mused. "How many died thanks to their efforts to kill me? And for what? The ironic thing is, their goal, at least at its core, was noble. And yet hundreds perished for something that in the end was completely pointless. If they had never moved against me, they would have had nothing to fear."

"Yeah..." Anna agreed with a sigh. It was hard to feel triumph when the entire mess could have been avoided with no one being any worse off.

Then Elsa smiled again. "Still, I'm happy for one reason."

"I'm alive?" Anna offered.

The Queen winced. "Okay...two reasons. For one...yes, you're alive. But your entire life has been defined by poverty and loneliness. I wanted to fix those things...and I did. But immediately afterwards, those problems were replaced by a conspiracy doing everything in its power to kill both of us. Now, finally, I can give you the happy life you deserve."

They embraced again, snuggling for several more minutes before Elsa finally went to hear Evangeline's report. It wasn't until the Queen had left the room that Anna grasped the full implications of what Elsa had said.

Ruling Arendelle together. Gods, is she finally going to...?

\

Six hours later, Elsa was sitting at her bedroom desk getting some work done. Progress was slow, however, due to the concerned glances she directed at the slumbering Knight nearby. Anna was still in front of the fire and too pale for comfort, but the steady rising and falling of her chest was very reassuring to the monarch.

She had a lot to think about. First, there was the matter of what to do with Drell. His guilt would be revealed to the Castle and the country at large just as soon as Anna had recovered sufficiently to stand at Elsa's side. And then... By all rights, he should be executed. His guilt had been admitted in front of six trusted witnesses, and he wasn't exactly recanting his confession. His crimes more than warranted the death sentence.

The thought brought Elsa's focus back to one who had once been faced with the same punishment. Anna was furious with Drell, that much was clear, but that didn't mean the Knight would enjoy seeing her mentor hang from a noose.

Yet there were things other than Anna's happiness that the monarch had to take into consideration. The Arms Master was responsible, indirectly or not, for the deaths of dozens of innocent people...including Kai. To not punish him adequately would be to shame their memories, and the idea of letting Kai's killer off lightly made Elsa's blood boil.

No one understands how hard this can be.

Still, perhaps execution wasn't the smartest option. Drell almost certainly had useful information...information that would take time to extract. He was the leader of the conspiracy after all, and he almost certainly knew each and every one of its remaining members.

Slowly, an idea came into her mind. Drell would be excellent bait for the few remaining conspiracy members out there. If there was one thing Elsa could give this group, it was that they were loyal to their cause. It wouldn't surprise Elsa if they tried to rescue their leader.

She could keep him in the Tower, Arendelle's most secure long-term prison. There, he could be interrogated and kept away from any sympathetic members of the Castle's staff. Elsa would make this arrangement known. If any of his compatriots tried to rescue him, they would find themselves confronting an extra security detail that the Queen would secretly assign near Drell's cell.

It was a perfect solution. He would suffer greatly in the Tower, yet Anna would not need to put herself through watching his death. Elsa would have to make sure that only the most trusted guards and agents were assigned to handle his transfer and security; they could not afford another Jocasta.

And then there was Eldora.

Gustav's death was a shock, and the Queen couldn't help but wonder how Marisol was handling her father's passing. The two of them had shared something of a friendship during the times that they had met, and Elsa knew what a gentle soul the Princess (soon to be Queen) possessed.

Now that Elsa had come to full understanding of her sexual orientation, she could admit to herself that Marisol had a very attractive figure. The Princess could not rival Anna's beauty, but Elsa felt no shame in admitting that she admired Marisol's good looks.

This would be kept to herself, of course. And in the very likely event that Anna herself came to appreciate Marisol's physique (and given the Knight's astounding lack of subtlety,) Elsa would be able to play the jealous card if Anna felt like roaming the Eldoran Palace instead of spending time alone with her Queen.

By the gods, I really am a horrible person.

It took one week to travel from Arendelle to Eldora by sea, and that meant their delegation would need to leave within thirty days. This was a major public event, rather than a secret private meeting, and thus would require a massive delegation on Arendelle's part. Partially as a show of prestige, and partially to accommodate over a month at sea and in a desert country, a large collection of maids, servants, guards, officials, and advisors would have to accompany the Queen.

Eldora was a small kingdom with nothing more than an adequate military. Half of its landscape was a desert, but the sands hid vast quantities of precious metals and other valuable resources. With its southern neighbors hungrily eyeing its territory, Eldora had been desperate to form a military alliance.

Enter Arendelle. Early in his reign, Elsa's father had formulated a pact between the two kingdoms that endured until this day. None of Eldora's neighbors were eager to risk the wrath of Arendelle's unstoppable navy, and King Gustav had only been too happy to offer a generous trade package in exchange for an alliance. With Marisol's ascension to the throne, Elsa would have to make it clear that the agreement between the two countries would continue to remain in force.

Of course, there were some upsides to the trip. Eldora was a beautiful land, at least the part of it that wasn't covered in sand. In fact, its famed Cascade of Waterfalls might be the perfect place to ask the question.

And...there was the small matter of her being a Goddess.

Evangeline's account of Drell's words had matched Anna's completely. The Knight had seemed utterly sure that she had had prior visions confirming Drell's accounting of the past. In a way, it did all make sense. Elsa's power...her ability to use multiple types of magic. Perhaps Anna wasn't going through a delirious fever dream.

And deep inside her, the Queen sensed the truth of the matter. She wasn't sure if it was simple intuition or actual instinct...maybe some part of her had always suspected that she was more than human. To that part of her, the idea of being a Goddess just felt right.

In the end, it didn't truly matter. The conspiracy was all but defeated, and their motivations (pure as they might be) were for naught. Elsa had no intention of conquering the planet. According to their prophecy, if she didn't make the entire world her 'domain', she would remain mortal. The knowledge of her divinity ultimately changed nothing.

Still, she wasn't sure what to think about it. Right now, there was no purpose in angsting over the matter. She was still Elsa, Goddess or otherwise, and the only memories inside her head were her own.

\

"It's been three days, Kristoff!" Anna complained. "I know Elsa's worried about me and all, but I know my own body! It won't be long before I'm walking around without so much as a limp," she declared.

The ice harvester smirked skeptically. They were sitting in one of the Palace's private parlors; Anna having been practically carried from her bedroom to this sofa by a company of Royal Guards. The Knight had made sure that Kristoff was aware that she was all right as soon as she'd woken up, since he hadn't been allowed into the Castle following his release from captivity. Evangeline was a paranoid woman, it seemed.

Anna had asked Elsa if she could invite him over as soon as she was strong enough to get out of bed.

"Elsa, is it alright if I ask Kristoff to come by for a bit?" she questioned. "I mean, I know security's pretty tight right now, but..."

The Queen silenced her by placing a finger on Anna's lips. "You don't have to ask me," Elsa said. "This Castle is your home as much as it is mine; you have the right to invite whoever you please. Of course, I trust that you'll only extend an invitation to people who are trustworthy."

They'd been talking for a while now. Though shaken by the experience, Kristoff was unharmed for the most part. His sprained ankle was healing nicely, and with Elsa having just given him a dose of magic after he arrived, it would be back to normal in no time.

The monarch hadn't stayed around, unfortunately. Her schedule was a hectic one. Drell's involvement in the conspiracy was going to be revealed to the public at large the next day, and the Arms Master was still being interrogated.

Anna wanted nothing to do with it. She didn't want to know anything about his situation. Drell was dead to her; she never wanted to see or hear of him again. Elsa and Evangeline could handle him, and the last thing the Knight wanted to do was learn about their interrogation tactics. She doubted that they were pleasant.

"So...how's business going?" Anna asked. They'd been talking about the conspiracy for a while now, and frankly Anna had had enough of the subject. Though she trusted Kristoff, Anna wasn't going to tell him about Elsa's divinity. She'd allowed him to believe that Drell had simply been talking nonsense. The decision to tell or not tell anyone was the Queen's choice to make.

Kristoff smiled slightly. "It's going well enough. I'm still learning the ins and outs, but the profits are flowing in nicely. And I still have plenty of cash in reserve left over from the Queen's 'reward'. I still plan on paying her back, though."

Anna groaned.

"We can argue about that when the time comes," he offered. "Anyway, whatever happened with the Queen and Pabbie? Did she get something to remove your memories?" Kristoff questioned.

The Knight sighed. "No. Pabbie told her that losing memories...even those memories...could change who I am as a person. Elsa wasn't wiling to take the risk. Part of me wishes she was, but I suppose that she's the Queen. She gets to make those decisions," Anna said with some bitterness. "Anyway, I guess it's not as necessary any more. The conspiracy's over; we're probably not going to be attacked any time soon. Plus, just knowing that those responsible for what...happened to me...are behind bars helps a little. Looking into a flame still makes my stomach turn, but I haven't had any flashbacks since Drell was arrested."

Kristoff nodded. As he did so, a spasm of pain shot through her thigh. The wound was still healing, and every now and then the pain flared up once again. With a moan, Anna fell back farther into the sofa.

"Ugh! I am so tired of just sitting around," she complained. "I wish Rapunzel was here."

\

The next few weeks passed by in a blur. Nearly everyone in the Castle was shocked by the news of Drell's treachery, but within a few hours they seemed to accept it. Most were simply relieved to know that the source of the attacks had been found and dealt with.

So far, Drell had revealed nothing. He was transferred to the Tower, a prison located on Arendelle's rocky coast. Several miles away from the nearest town or village, it was the perfect place to keep the traitor isolated. There, he would be interrogated and held as bait for his remaining cronies. To her displeasure, the small part of Anna that still cared for him was relieved that she wouldn't have to watch him hang.

She was never going to see him again. Unlike with Jocasta, Anna had no urge to talk with the imprisoned Arms Master. The Knight had learned her lesson from the last time. And honestly, there wasn't much left to say between the two of them. Drell believed that Elsa was a threat, and nothing Anna could say would convince him of the error of his ways.

And nothing he could say would make her forgive him.


	63. Chapter 63

Today was the day. At long last, it was time for their journey to Eldora.

Elsa herself had mixed feelings about their departure. She was never truly comfortable with leaving Arendelle in the hands of others...even her Council. Every day that she was away from the Royal City filled her with a sense of anxiety. And ever since her parents had died at sea, the Queen was always wary of travel by ship. Even though rationally she knew her powers made it all but impossible for her to drown (she could simply freeze the water around the ship if she had to) Elsa couldn't help but feel nervous as her vessel sailed into the open sea.

Still, she was looking forward to seeing Marisol again. Her family from Corona would be attending as well, and Elsa was always glad to spend some time with them. Anna in particular was eager to be off; the Knight was always excited to see new places, after all. And if Anna was happy, then Elsa found it hard not to feel the same way.

The Ice Queen was waiting for them, looking magnificent, as it stood moored in the Royal Harbor. Dozens of Arendellians had been chosen to be part of the delegation: Arald, Evangeline, and Kale among them. Elsa's personal opinion of the General had fallen significantly following his frequent insults made at her consort's expense, but she couldn't deny his military expertise. He had been relatively quiet since the night of Drell's betrayal, however, and from a certain point of view it was an improvement.

"He hasn't thanked me," Anna had pointed out. "But he hasn't said anything else to me, either."

Most were already on the ship; Elsa and Anna were among the last to board. As a phalanx of Royal Guards ascended the boarding ramp in front of her, the monarch found her gaze drawn to the water. Cast in the glow of the evening sun, the reflection truly was a sight to see.

"It's time, Your Majesty," Corporal Vale said, gesturing to the ramp. Nodding, Elsa started forward...then realized that Anna wasn't walking with her. Startled, the Queen glanced around to find Anna standing back. The Knight's gaze seemed inexplicably drawn to a spot some meters down the docks. Elsa stared at the location carefully, but she couldn't perceive anything out of the ordinary. All that was there was a collection of old shipping crates tied down to the docks by a thick piece of molding rope.

Glancing back to the ramp briefly, Elsa hurriedly walked over to Anna's still form.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" the Queen asked calmly. It had been a long time since Anna had had an 'episode', and it had never been triggered by water, but Elsa wasn't going to discount the possibility.

To her relief, Anna immediately responded. "No...no," she murmured distractedly. "I was just...it's not important. Come on, we're going to be late!" And without further ado, the Knight leapt forward and raced up the boarding ramp. By the time Elsa could even think of a sarcastic quip about how Anna had been the one holding them up...not to mention the fact that the ship certainly wouldn't be leaving without the Queen of Arendelle, Anna was already standing atop the vessel's deck. She flashed the Queen a grin.

Elsa's eyes narrowed, but the Queen could only sigh as she stepped onto the ramp herself and took her last steps on Arendelle's shores. Soon, she and Anna were leaning against the boarding rail and watching the Castle slowly fade out of view.

Behind them, the sun was setting.

\

"Haven't I told you not to come up here?" Elsa demanded.

Form her perch on the crow's nest, Anna turned around and offered the Queen a cheeky smile. It was almost an old joke between the two of them at this point. The Knight had clearly demonstrated that her climbing ability made it all but impossible for her to fall...and she would likely survive the drop regardless.

Wordlessly, Elsa dropped to Anna's side and knelt on the wood beside her. Still leaning her arms against the protective wooden railing in front of them, the Knight shifted slightly and rested her head comfortably on the monarch's shoulder.

Elsa smiled, wrapping an arm around Anna's slim frame and pulling her consort in tighter. Above them, the moon was shining brightly; it was visible even with a thick layer of clouds darkening the night sky. The stars were not so lucky, however.

"It doesn't look like you'll be learning about any more constellations tonight," the Queen remarked.

"Nope..." Anna agreed.

The Queen sighed. It was a shame to disrupt such a peaceful moment, but if her lover was suffering, there was no way that she was not going to get involved. "Anna, what happened earlier? While we boarded, I mean. You seemed almost frozen for a moment. I know you've said you're doing better since Drell's arrest..."

"It was nothing like that," Anna interrupted. "I wasn't having a flashback of Jocasta or anything. Don't worry about me; I'm fine!" she assured the Queen.

Seeing that Elsa wasn't going to let the subject drop, she continued. "Where we were...near those shipping crates. I've been there before. Around a year ago, in fact."

Elsa frowned. "You were working in the harbor?" she questioned.

"No," the Knight answered. "I was just looking for a place to sleep. There was nowhere else to go in the city, and the snow was blowing in hard from the east that night. Those crates gave me some protection from the blizzard...enough to survive anyway."

A familiar combination of compassion and pity bursting within her heart, Elsa moved to the side and hugged Anna as tightly as she could. Even though the Knight had grown accustomed to a life bereft of poverty, it seemed as if she would never be able to forget the experience. "I'm here..." Elsa cooed soothingly as Anna leaned into her chest. "Talk to me."

Several moments passed before Anna overcame her hesitation. "Elsa...you know how much I appreciate what you've done for me. But...the last thing I've ever wanted you to think is that providing for me is why I'm with you."

The Queen smiled slightly, remembering a recent vision. "Anna, I know that if you were the Queen and I was the thief, you would still love me. But remember Anna; you're human. There's no shame in taking pleasure in a life of luxury, or in enjoying having your material needs fulfilled. It doesn't make me think that they're the only reason you're with me...or even the most important one."

Anna sighed. "You have no idea how amazing it feels Elsa, just to not have to worry about where my next meal is coming from. It's such a relief. For the past several months, you've had to deal with a vague threat of attack hanging over your head. But imagine having to worry about death every day. I woke up and didn't know if I was going to eat that day, or where I was going to sleep at night. Hunger and cold...they were my constant companions. I was never more than one bad day away from death. Just being able to go down to the kitchens and eat whenever I want...I love it, Elsa."

Elsa embraced her consort even tighter, rubbing her back soothingly. Anna had never opened up about her homeless years so candidly before, and getting whatever she wanted to say off her chest would only be healthy for the Knight.

"Of course you do," the Queen replied. "I'd be shocked if you didn't."

"But that's not exactly what I'm embarrassed about. And considering how you do so much for me without even being asked...it's not fair. I have no right to feel this way," the Knight murmured.

Keeping her arms around her lover and continuing to speak in soothing tones, Elsa asked, "Feel what way, Anna?"

"Like it's all going to end," Anna admitted. "I know you would never force me to live back out on the streets again. But a stupid, irrational part of my brain keeps whispering that I've been way too lucky...and that one day everything's going to go back to the way it was before."

"How long have you been feeling like this?" Elsa questioned, making no effort to disguise the sadness in her voice.

Anna bit her lip. "Since I moved into the Castle, I guess. But it's been the least of my worries, what with the conspiracy and all that shit happening. But over the last few weeks...without having something to worry about, my mind keeps drifting back to the idea that one day I'm going to be poor and alone again."

"That would never happen, Anna," Elsa replied firmly. "Even if something happened to me, you'd always have a home in Corona. And even if you didn't, I've bequeathed quite a large sum of gold from my personal vault to you in my will. You're the last person on earth who's going to become poor."

At that, Anna frowned slightly. "I appreciate the gesture, Elsa. But if something happened to you, money wouldn't mean shit to me. I'd rather be with you and poor than rich and not with you."

"But you'd rather be with me and rich than with me and poor. There's nothing wrong with that, Anna."

"I know!" the Knight huffed. "But I shouldn't be feeling this way! It's not fair to you...for part of me to think that somehow you'd allow me to end up on the streets again. I know you wouldn't...but I'm still frightened of that happening!"

Elsa nodded, placing a kiss on Anna's cheek. "And I don't blame you. Anna, your life has changed so much in the past year...of course it's going to be disconcerting. I don't pretend to know what it's like to be poor, but I think I understand what you're going through. Part of your mind thinks you've been so fortunate that the universe is bound to bite you in the ass. But you haven't been! You earned everything you have now. I can't think of a single person who deserves a good life more than you do."

The Queen sensed Anna taking in a breath of relief...relief that Elsa understood her fear. And how could she not? Anna's past several years had been fraught with poverty, hunger, and even assassination attempts. It would take her subconscious sometime to accept that she was safe now...in every sense of the word.

Gently, she raised a hand to Anna's cheeks and dried the few tears that had managed to make it through. "How about a game a checkers, followed by some cuddling in bed?" Elsa offered.

Anna's head dipped in agreement.

\

"I thought Eldora was a desert country," Anna pointed out as she leaned against the railing. They had arrived in Eldoran territory several hours ago, but the Knight still hadn't seen even a single grain of sand. The Ice Queen was traveling upriver towards the capital city; both sides of the river were covered in grass and trees.

She wasn't disappointed. Spending a week in a desert had never exactly been appealing to her. But still...it seemed strange. According to Elsa, Eldora was situated close to the global equator, meaning that it should by all rights be one of the hottest countries in the world. And indeed, the air had steadily grown warmer as their journey had brought them closer to its shores. But once they had approached Eldora's borders, the temperature became akin to what Anna had experienced in Corona.

"A lot of it is," Elsa explained. "About two thirds of it, actually. But the area around the capital...around two hundred square miles, has a temperate climate. It's considered one of the greatest mysteries in the world, as a matter of fact. The heat and sand almost immediately give way to mild temperatures and fertile grasslands."

Anna frowned. She was far from a geographical expert, but Elsa's words simply did not seem possible.

"Is it magic?" the Knight questioned eagerly.

The Queen offered her a small smile. "Perhaps. Scientists certainly haven't been able to explain why a large chunk of land is about thirty degrees colder and far less arid than it should be. Eldora's been this way for as long as anyone can remember. My guess is that a powerful mage was responsible. Of course, from what we know now, it could well be a remnant from the time of the gods."

"A remnant from...there's the city!" the Knight exclaimed. A large collection of buildings some ways up the river was slowly becoming visible. As they grew closer, Anna could perceive that the capital was noticeably smaller than Arendelle's Royal City...or even Corona's. Still, it was an impressive sight, and the exotic architecture was entirely new to her young eyes. Most striking of all was the Palace at the center of the city. It was lower and smaller than the great Castles Anna was used to, but it had an undeniable sturdiness to it.

\

Docking quickly at the city's harbor, Elsa, Anna, and an assortment of Royal Guards were the first off the ship. It was customary for Royalty to greet one another as soon as they arrived in each other's domains, and the Queen had no intention of looking disrespectful in any way.

A red-wooded carriage and a collection of Eldoran soldiers were there to greet them. After watching Elsa exchange the usual pleasantries with their welcoming party, Anna accompanied the Queen into the carriage. The horses were strong, easily pulling their vehicle along the cobbled roads. All around them, the city was bustling with energy. Stalls and vendors of all kinds were offering and trading wares, some of which Anna had never even heard of before.

"It's a prosperous country," Elsa noted as Anna continued staring out the window. "It has access to the resources of the desert, but also possesses more than enough fresh water and fertile land to provide for its people. As you can imagine, that makes it a tempting target to some of the more opportunistic regions to the south. If not for Arendelle's vow of protection, I'd be surprised if it had not been attacked by this point.

The Knight nodded, her gaze now directed at the large Castle coming into view. As she'd observed previously, it was a wide, low building. It had a certain grandeur to it; the scarlet-brown stones that formed its walls were an impressive sight, but it also looked...old. She remarked on this fact to Elsa.

"It is. This Castle has been standing for all of recorded memory. Probably for thousands of years. Of course, it wasn't always the Eldoran Palace. But every nation that has controlled this region has never seen fit to take the building down. It was well suited to their purposes, and building a Castle in this region is not an easy task," the Queen explained.

Their carriage stopped, and the door was opened for them. Stepping down behind Elsa, Anna found herself staring at the Palace in front of her, noting in admiration how the sunlight pleasantly reflected off its stone surface. A gentle pull at her arm brought her back to reality, and Anna forced herself to walk forward arm in arm with Elsa. Escorted by both Arendellian and Eldoran guards, they soon found themselves at the door to the entrance hall.

"Presenting, Queen Elsa of Arendelle! Accompanied by her consort, Lady Anna of Arendelle."

They were ushered inside the hall. It was a single massive room featuring a high ceiling of polished stone, held by a several thick circular pillars positioned across the floor. Standing before them was an olive-skinned woman adorned with a small golden tiara.

"Queen Marisol," Elsa greeted, dipping her head slightly in respect.

Bowing, Anna couldn't help but notice that Eldora's Queen was undeniably hot. Her figure was incredible, and magnificently complimented by the short-sleeved scarlet golden dress she wore. Her skin possessed a creamy olive tone that looked familiar to Anna, though she couldn't recall from where.

A slight nudge from her side made her jolt. Elsa was glaring at her. Whether it was because Anna had forgotten to bow or whether the Queen had actually noticed Anna's admiration of Marisol's form, the Knight wasn't certain. She hoped it was the former.

"If you and your attendant would accompany me to my study," Marisol invited, "We have much to discuss."

\

"It's good to see you again, Elsa," Marisol said once the three of them had adjourned privately to the Queen's office. "And it is nice to meet you as well, Lady Anna. The rumors of Queen Elsa's beautiful consort were certainly not misplaced."

Anna blushed. "It's an honor, Your Majesty," she said respectfully.

"Not Your Majesty. Not yet, anyway. I'm still a Princess as far as the law is concerned," Marisol corrected gently. The Knight paled, realizing her mistake, but to her relief the Eldoran royal did not dwell on the subject.

Elsa stepped forward, taking one of Marisol's hands in her own. "I'm sorry about Gustav, Marisol," she said. "He was a good man, and a good King. I...I know how it feels to lose a parent; I know that hosting so many foreign sycophants and opportunists must be infuriating. Remember that you have my support, just as Eldora will continue to have the support of Arendelle."

Even to Anna's untrained eyes, it was plain that Marisol was struggling with her emotions. Even those like Elsa, who had been trained to be Royalty since birth, could lose control of their regal masks if a situation was painful enough. Marisol's mask was visibly cracking.

"Thank you," the future Queen finally managed. She sighed audibly. "I would love to catch up with you, Elsa, and get to know you, Lady Anna, but I must assist my mother with the preparations and get ready to meet with the next arriving dignitaries. Most should be arriving within the next twelve hours. I would enjoy sharing lunch with the two of you, tomorrow, however."

Anna's Queen nodded. "Of course."

"I'll have you shown to your Quarters, but feel free to roam the city and the Palace if you so desire," Marisol offered. Nodding again, Elsa took Anna smoothly by the hand and prepared to leave the office.

"Wait," Marisol interrupted. "I should warn you. Arendelle usually deals primarily with the nations of the northern hemisphere, but many of my southern neighbors will be attending this coronation. Many of them will not approve of your relationship, both due to Lady Anna's low birth and the fact that you are the same gender. So far, many of them will have only heard rumors about your choice in consort, but once the truth is made plain to them...be prepared for hostility."

"There's no need to remind us," Elsa replied solemnly. "We're accustomed to it."

\

Less than an hour before dinner was scheduled to begin, the two women were lounging in their Quarters within the Palace's Guest Wing. They had just returned from a tour of the Castle grounds, and Elsa was eager to wash up before sharing a meal with so many foreign royals.

Knock! Knock!

Elsa watched as Anna hopped up and opened the door. The wood swung aside to reveal Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas, all of them with broad smiles on their faces. Before they could even say a word, Anna had already leapt forward and clutched Rapunzel in an embrace.

The Queen walked forward, standing behind her consort and waiting her turn patiently. When Anna finally released the Princess, Elsa found herself swept forward and caught in a hug of her own.

"When did you guys get here?" Anna blurted out. "And where are your parents?"

"About an hour ago," Eugene replied. "And I'm afraid it's just us. Marcus and Lenna send their love, but there's currently an incident with a group of pirates raiding our coast. Nothing to worry about, but they're staying behind to assure the people and form a plan to track down the brigands and their ship."

Elsa sighed. She'd been looking forward to seeing the rest of her family.

"Don't you have any insights, Eugene? Being a former Coronan thief and all?" Anna questioned. "Do you have any idea how to find these pirates."

"Hardly," the Prince replied. "I'd never even set foot on a real ship before meeting Rapunzel...and I'm out of practice. Anyway, Marcus can handle it. The two of us have some...important news."

The Queen's eyes swung to her cousin, and it was that moment in which the Coronan Princess finally chose to speak. It was only two words, but they were life altering. No wonder the new arrivals had looked so happy.

"I'm pregnant!" Rapunzel announced.

Anna started leaping up and down in joy, almost immediately seizing the Coronan Princess in another hug. For a moment, Elsa simply stood there. She was utterly stunned. In a few short months, she was going to be an aunt!

"Congratulations!" Elsa finally managed. "When did you find out?"

Rapunzel smiled, still trapped in an unbreakable Anna-embrace. "About a week ago. My monthly visitor didn't come by on time, and a short session with some of the Castle Physicians confirmed it. In around eight months, I'll be a mother! Wow...I'm still giddy about it!"

"For my part," Thomas cut in, "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. With how often these two go at it, you'd think our Castle would already be filled with children...ow!" he muttered as Eugene elbowed him in the ribs.

Finally extracting herself from Anna's arms, Rapunzel faced the Knight directly. "Anna, there's something we wanted to ask you. You've saved my life more than once, and despite the short time we've known each other, you've proven to be a remarkable friend. So...we were hoping you would be our child's Surrogate."

"Its Surrogate! Of course I'll be its Surrogate!" Anna exclaimed. "Wait...what's a Surrogate?"

Eugene chuckled. "It's a Coronan thing...a tradition really. A holdover from a very distant, violent past. Today, a child's Surrogate is a position given to a close friend of the mother's, one who is not blood-related to the child," he explained, nodding to Elsa meaningfully. "In the event that the child's family perishes, the Surrogate is expected to assume custody of the child."

"It's pretty morbid when you think about it," Thomas added as Anna's jaw dropped.

The Prince-Consort sighed. "True. As I said, it's a holdover from a time when there was no guarantee that a child's family would live to see them grow up. Today, it's basically meant as a position of honor."

"Which is why I want you to have it," Rapunzel cut in.

Anna was prevented from further babbling by a gentle knock on the still opened doorframe. Standing there was Kayla, one of the servants chosen to accompany the delegation on this trip. She was one of Anna's favorites among the staff, after all.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," she bowed. "And Your Highness…es," she bowed again to the Coronan royals. "And my Lady," Kayla curtsied to Anna as smoothly as she could. "The staff wanted you to be informed that dinner will be ready in twenty minutes."

\

Elsa wasn't sure she had ever seen Anna so happy, and that was definitely saying something. All throughout dinner, the Knight was wearing a smile on her face even as a significant portion of the guests made sure to ignore her. In a foreign country, surrounded by a diverse collection of dignitaries (many of whom respected the Knight) and subject to Elsa's piercing gaze, no one was bold enough to outright insult her consort. Still, it was easy to see that many were less than enthused about her presence.

Yet Anna didn't seem to mind. She spent the entire meal chatting with Rapunzel, speculating about the baby's gender and guessing the date that it would be born. In fact, the Knight almost seemed more excited about the news than the child's actual parents.

Elsa knew why.

For the first time in her life, Anna was feeling like she was part of a family. It was something that Elsa had once taken for granted; even after her parents had died, she had still had a network of loyal and caring individuals ready and willing to support her. With her position as Elsa's consort and close relationship with Rapunzel, Anna was now starting to feel like part of that family network.

And it was time to make that official.

"Anna," Elsa beckoned as the dinner group finally began to break up. "Before you and Rapunzel continue to debate whether the season its born in will help determine the baby's gender, can you come with me for a moment? I want to show you something."

Finally, the Queen mused as Anna followed her out of the hall. After so much pain and suffering, we've finally earned some happiness. It was true. For the first time since her parents had gone sailing off on that fateful voyage, Elsa finally felt as if all was right in the world.


	64. Chapter 64

"Just a little bit farther, Anna."

The Knight had absolutely no idea what was happening at the moment. After the two of them had left the Palace, Elsa had nonchalantly produced a blindfold and requested that Anna wear it. Confused but also intrigued, Anna had agreed to place the cloth over her eyes and allow the Queen to lead her through the night.

They had been flying for several minutes now, Elsa having been using her powers to propel the two of them through the air at impressive speeds. This had been rather terrifying at first, given her lack of vision, but the Queen had assured her that they were flying so close to the ground that a fall wouldn't even bruise her. Quickly becoming used to the experience, the Knight had gradually grown aware of a distant yet powerful sound. But just as she had been getting an idea of what it was, the sound had immediately been silenced.

With Elsa's powers cushioning their impact, the two women landed gently on a smooth, hard surface. Was it just Anna, or did they seem...lower than when they had started? Whatever she had been hearing before was gone; save for Elsa, the night was utterly silent. Then, quite suddenly, the Queen released Anna's arms.

"Okay, Anna," Elsa commanded, her voice filled with anticipation. "Take it off."

She did.

Holy. Shit. It was the most magnificent sight that Anna had ever seen. They were standing on a massive body of water, surrounded on all sides by massive waterfalls. As her eyes adjusted to the sight, Anna became ever more aware of the wonder that she was witnessing. She remembered now, something that had been told to her some days ago. The temperate region of Eldora contained several large rivers that flowed from the ocean to a central point, where they combined to form a single large stream of water that headed straight back to the ocean.

This was where they met. But it wasn't a simple joining of rivers; they all flowed downwards into this circular basin, each forming a waterfall of several hundred meters with its descent. The basin itself was perhaps a thousand meters across. Somehow, a great circular depression had been formed in Eldora's grasslands...and attracted nearly every single river in the country to its depths.

But all of that was nothing compared to the magic that had gripped the world around her. All of the water...from that already in the basin to the liquid still flowing in the waterfall...was frozen solid. From far above, a light snowfall was raining down countless specks of white onto this shocking scene. And Elsa...

Elsa was kneeling on the ice beside Anna, her magnificent dress pooling on the cold surface around them. Her hands were raised. There, nestled in the Queen's delicate, thin fingers...was a ring.

Anna's heart stopped.

Looking up at the Knight, Elsa began to speak. "Anna, there's no one else on this earth that I would wish to spend the rest of my life with. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone...I can't imagine a life without you. Despite what many may say, I am unworthy of you. Your courage, your compassion, your heart...they are gifts that I've never deserved," she paused, releasing a heavy breath. "Will you, Lady Anna of Arendelle, grant me the honor of your hand in marriage?"

Anna fell to her knees, embracing the shocked Queen in a tearful embrace. "Yes!" she shouted. "By all the gods, yes! Put that ring on my finger already!" she demanded. Pulling back, she held out her arm and stretched her finger expectantly.

With a smile of utter joy and relief, Elsa nodded and slid the piece of jewelry onto Anna's finger. It was a simple ring at first glance, but the Knight did not doubt that its value exceeded even that of her necklace. The band was composed of light bluish platinum; etched into it were tiny snowflakes made of white gold. The diamond itself was the color of whitish silver, doubtlessly intended to look quite similar to the Queen's ice magic.

"I've wanted to do this for so long, Anna," Elsa confided, "But it needed to wait until everything settled down. Besides, I wanted our marriage to be happy, not overshadowed by a conspiracy still hanging over our heads. And...oh my gods I can't believe we're engaged!" the Queen of Arendelle exclaimed as she grinned like a schoolgirl.

Anna was still staring at the ring, her mind having gone almost blank. She was engaged. She was going to get married. To Elsa. It didn't seem real. And yet, at the same time, it seemed more real than anything else in her entire life.

"I wanted to propose to you here; it seemed like the perfect place. Unfortunately," Elsa sighed, "We can't announce it here...not in front of so many dignitaries; many of whom will not approve, and it would be rude to overshadow Marisol's coronation. We'll tell our friends, of course, and when we get back there will be a formal announcement proclaiming our engagement."

The Knight nodded. "You think Arendelle will accept me as your...Princess-Consort?" she asked.

Elsa shook her head pointedly. "Queen-Consort, Anna." At the look of surprise on the Knight's face, she continued. "It's actually a matter of sexism, and an odd one at that. The rank of King is traditionally held higher than the rank of Queen; hence why King's wives are called Queen-Consorts, but a man who marries a Queen only gains the rank of Prince-Consort. This has weirdly translated into a woman who marries a Queen, like you, being named as Princess-Consort rather than Queen-Consort. It is an outdated tradition, and regardless I will not deny my wife a rank equal to my own."

"Frankly, I'm just happy to be your wife, Elsa," Anna replied. "The royalty aspect is...going to be interesting." Truth be told, Anna wasn't sure how she felt about becoming a Queen. Oh my gods I'm going to be a Queen!

"Well," Elsa smiled, "I suppose a good place to start is getting your head fitted for a crown."

Anna shook her head hurriedly. "I don't want a crown," she said. At the surprised look on Elsa's face, she explained, "I understand that to marry you I have to become royalty, and right now I'm not sure if I find that awesome or terrifying. Probably both. But I don't need a crown. You're still going to be the sole ruler of Arendelle, and I don't want that to change. I'll always be at your side, happy to support you, but I don't want to have the same legal and military powers you do. We both know that's just not what I'm meant for."

Elsa said nothing.

"I do want to do things, though. Royal things, I mean. Maybe with my new position, I could look into some new programs that would help the poor...that's one thing I might be good at. But I want to be seen as a friend and ally of Arendelle's weakest citizens, not someone above them," Anna explained.

"The People's Queen," Elsa mused. "Yes, I think that would be a perfect role for you. A connection between Arendelle's monarchy and the country's lower classes; it's a great idea, Anna."

The Knight nodded. "Enough of the politics for now though," she sighed. "I think there are some people back at the Castle who will want to hear the news."

\

"I knew it!" Rapunzel exclaimed as she hugged Anna tightly. "I told you it would be only a matter of time! And see? Elsa finally got up her courage to ask the easiest question in the world!"

"Easy?" Elsa demanded.

The Princess snorted. "Like you weren't one hundred percent certain that she would say yes. Honestly, I can't believe it even took you this long! Anyway...congratulations! I'm sure my baby will be happy to have two Aunts now."

Anna smiled. Observing the group of remarkable individuals around her: Elsa, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas, the Knight realized that she was gaining more than just a wife. This was going to be her family...a family that was about to grow.

"Actually, Rapunzel, Anna and I aren't going to be its Aunts, you know. We'll be its first cousins once-"

"You'll be its Aunts; it's simpler that way," Eugene responded. "And, of course, Anna will still be its surrogate, since she's still not a blood relative. We knew you'd be getting married soon, after all."

Thomas coughed. "The only question is when you two will be getting married. Hopefully it will be before the baby's birth. It's not going to be easy carrying a newborn across the sea for four days, after all."

Elsa frowned. "We'll announce the news formally once we get back to Arendelle. Since this is a Royal Wedding, it will take at least three months to prepare and send out the invitations."

"As long as it's before I become too pregnant to travel," Rapunzel said.

\

"Lady Anna?"

The Knight turned around. She was standing guard outside of Marisol's office as Elsa, Marisol, and Rapunzel were discussing seating arrangements for the next day's coronation. For now, Anna was unfortunately not wearing her ring; the metal band was stored safely in one of her pockets. Eugene, having offered to keep her company, was standing beside her.

Addressing her was a handsome man with blond hair. He looked to be about Elsa's age...or perhaps only a few years older. A friendly smile shone upon his face, but Anna was also conscious of the longsword that was hooked to his belt. His uniform was that of one of Eldora's Royal Guards.

"Yes?" Anna asked. "Who are you?" Next to her, Eugene coughed. Evidently, the Knight was going to have to brush up on aristocratic decorum before her wedding. Their visitor, however, did not appear to be offended.

"Apologies, my lady. I am Daniel Frye, one of our Princess's Royal Guards."

Eugene frowned. "I've heard of you," he said. "You won the Eldoran Grand Tournament four months ago. For your prize, you asked to become a member of the Royal Family's elite protectors. Quite an unusual request."

Frye nodded. "I have no need for prize money; my family is quite wealthy. And it was always a dream of mine to serve the Royal Family. It's a story not unlike your own, Lady Anna. Rumors of your exploits have reached even here. And, given your reputation as Arendelle's finest warrior, I was wondering if you would be interested in a friendly trial of arms with myself."

"Uhhh..." Anna began. "It wouldn't exactly be fair for you-" A gentle elbow from Eugene told her to amend her statement. "What I mean is, most of my abilities come from Queen Elsa's magic. When it comes to pure technique and skill with a blade, you're definitely better than me. But my magical abilities make me far too strong and fast for any normal human to compete with me."

The Eldoran smiled good-naturally. "That may be true, but I would still be interested in crossing blades with you, Lady Anna. If nothing else, I would like to witness your prowess for myself. One does not improve as a warrior by only fighting battles he can win, and I am not afraid of being humbled."

Well, I warned him. "Then, sure. The Arendellian delegation is sticking around for two days after the coronation. Perhaps we could have a private contest the day before I am set to leave?" she offered. Anna had no intention of making a public spectacle of this; no good could come of her humiliating a popular figure in the Eldoran court.

"Of course, Lady Anna. I shall see to the arrangements myself. Thank you for honoring my request." With a bow, he turned and walked away.

Anna turned to Eugene. "Well, that was odd," she remarked.

The Prince shrugged. "You're about to become Queen-Consort of Arendelle. Trust me, you'll look back on days like this and think of them as a time when everything was still ordinary. And at least you'll get the privilege of smacking that confident smile off his face."

She nodded. "I...it's still hard to believe everything that is happening to me." When Eugene raised a questioning eyebrow, Anna continued. "The best Knight of Eldora just challenged me, and yet that's not even close to the most interesting thing that I've done in the last few days. I mean, I'm about to be Elsa's wife. And also..."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Eugene curtsied. "It's an honor to stand in the presence of Arendelle's glorious Queen-"

Smack! Anna whacked him across the arm. "Don't remind me...I'm still not sure what to think of that," she sighed. "Still, the fact that someone else was able to make the adjustment fine helps a bit."

The Prince smiled, but there was a weariness in his face. "Yeah. I won't lie to you, Anna; it does take some getting used to. Obviously. You'll have more power and respect, yes, but there will be a lot more expected of you. I'm sure you've dealt with that already, being a Knight and all, but Royalty is an entirely different level."

"I think the bar's set pretty low," Anna noted. "Everyone knows I used to be a thief; I doubt they have high expectations."

"You might be surprised," Eugene said, frowning. "Everyone in Corona knew of my past when I married Rapunzel, and they still gave me dirty looks if I reached for the wrong utensil. And my background was even more damning than yours."

Anna bit her lip. "More damning?" she asked. "We were both thieves."

"You weren't as notorious. Wanted posters of me were spread throughout the country, while you were regarded as barely more than a myth. Which was fair, I suppose. You stole so little that you weren't even a threat. I tried to take the Royal Tiara!" He let out a bemused chuckle.

Yes, he had. Anna remembered the story well. Still..."You weren't that bad, Eugene. It's not as if you ever killed anyone, or stole from those who were already starving. Maybe you took more than a few gold coins, but-"

"That's the difference between you and me," the Prince replied, growing somber now. "You never needed redemption. I did. I wasn't a murderer, but I was more than willing to leave my targets in worse shape than they had been before. Sometimes I wonder if it was fair for the King and Queen to pardon me as easily as they did, though I suppose that rescuing the lost Princess was a big step in the right direction."

Anna was silent. What could she say?

"It's good that you're with Elsa," he continued. "Someone with all that power...it's nice to know that she'll have a woman at her side who will always advocate for doing the right thing."

The Knight wheeled on him, letting a bit of her rising anger show. "Elsa would never misuse her power!" Anna protested. "She's only ever used it to help people or in self-defense. She doesn't need me to keep her in line."

Eugene sighed. "The world is not black and white, Anna. Sometimes, knowing what it means to do the right thing isn't always easy. And with all her power, even the smallest mistake on Elsa's part could lead to disaster. I'm not saying she would go on a rampage without you around, but she is only human."

Well, sort of, Anna thought.

\

The coronation went off without a hitch. Elsa could not help but notice how eerily similar the event was to her own crowning. Marisol's face was utterly stoic as she accepted the Crown from one of Eldora's ministers, but Elsa knew without a doubt what was going on inside the new Queen's head. Despite being made of only the lightest metals, the tiara would feel heavier than any piece of mundane jewelry.

An impressive reception followed. Each of the foreign rulers was expected to give a speech welcoming the new Queen, and given the importance of Arendelle's relationship with Eldora, Elsa was slated to go first. At length, she discussed how mutually beneficial their partnership was...and made abundantly clear that their various pacts would continue. It was a difficult balancing act. Simultaneously, she had to both affirm that Arendelle would continue to grant military protection to Eldora while also not characterizing the latter country as weak. Yet by the smile that lit up Marisol's face as she finished, Elsa could tell that her powers of oratory had risen to the occasion.

And that was that.

\

Anna opened her eyes, awoken by the rustling of the bedsheets beside her. Elsa, she knew, had scheduled a meeting with Marisol today to go over trade agreements before their departure. The Queen had warned her that she was getting up early, but Anna couldn't help but miss the sensation of her lover's arms wrapped around her.

The Knight herself didn't have to get up for another two hours; her 'fight' with Eldora's champion was scheduled around noon. Elsa had reluctantly sanctioned the contest, but had also warned Anna not to injure him. Their bout would also have to take place somewhere out of the way, avoiding the risk of humiliation. Where that would be, exactly, was yet to be determined.

"Goodbye, Anna. Go back to sleep," Elsa whispered soothingly. The Knight smiled as a single, soft kiss was placed upon her forehead.

"Bye…Elsa," Anna murmured, allowing sleep to claim her once again.

\

"I see no reason to change the current rates," Marisol was saying. "Some of my Ministers want me to request a two percent decrease in the amount of spice exported to Arendelle, but I do not believe that irritating our most important ally is the best way to begin my tenure as Queen."

Elsa nodded. It was their last day in Eldora, and the two Queens were currently having a meeting in Marisol's office. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Thomas were visiting the city, while Anna was currently off somewhere beating the dignity out of Eldora's most skilled champion. Which meant that Elsa, for once, was alone with no one but her Royal Guards.

"Have your writers finalize the document and send it to my room; I'll sign it before we leave," Elsa replied.

Knock. Knock. A timid tapping on the door interrupted the two monarchs.

"Come in!" Marisol called. The wood swung aside to reveal Kayla. A clearly uncomfortable expression sitting on the servant's face, she said, "Sorry, Your Majesties. Lady Anna requests your presence, Queen Elsa. There has been an 'unfortunate injury' and she is asking for your assistance. She'd like you to come alone to maintain her opponent's...privacy."

Elsa sighed. Was it too much to ask Anna to be careful? No matter how skilled he was, there was no reason why Anna couldn't have defeated him conclusively without injuring him. With a nod from Marisol, Elsa rose from her chair and accompanied the young girl out of the room.

They started to walk down the hallway. Elsa's complement of guards, both Arendellian and Eldoran, made to follow, but the Queen stopped them with a raise of her hand. It wouldn't do for gossip to spread about how Arendelle's (future) Queen had injured one of Eldora's greatest warriors, not when there were countries to the south anxiously awaiting any sign of deterioration in the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

"Where are they?" Elsa questioned.

"The underbuilding, Your Majesty. Lady Anna thought it best to have the contest away from prying eyes." The Queen dipped her head in relief. Evidently, Anna had learned something over the past ten months.

Eldora's Palace wasn't entirely set above ground. There were a series of hallways and chambers below the sun's reach, though not all of them were often used. Regardless, they had existed for as long as anyone could remember, and there was no doubt that the creation of such an elaborate structure beneath the soil was an impressive feat of engineering.

They made their way down the Palace's central staircase, Kayla in the lead. It felt odd for Elsa to be led by a servant girl, but at the moment her mind was fully occupied with Anna's situation.

Finally, the two of them arrived in the underbuilding. The air was dry down here, and if not for the ubiquitous rows of torches, the hallways would have been dark. Passing only a handful of people as they trod on, Kayla led her to a large door.

"They're at the other end of this chamber, Your Majesty."

Elsa pushed open the door. The room she walked into was a small square-shaped chamber, marked by strange symbols on its stone floor and a ring of scarlet torches hanging on its walls that provided barely enough light. On the other side of this room was a second door, beyond which the Queen presumed Anna was waiting.

Her footsteps echoing throughout the chamber, Elsa walked towards the center of the room-

BANG!

For a moment, all she could perceive was a flash of white light that illuminated the entire room. She tried to move, but Elsa's body refused to obey her mind's commands. Then, of their own accord, her arms splayed upwards into the air...even as her feet remained planted firmly on the floor. Still blinded by the light, the Queen felt something lash itself to all four of her limbs. It felt...cold.

When her vision returned, Elsa was greeted by the sight of two tendrils of energy grasping on to each of her limbs. All of them were seemingly jutting out directly from the room's walls. They were a silvery-white, almost the color of ice. Despite the fact that they were roughly only an inch thick, the Queen found them unbreakable. Her ability to move returned, but Elsa's efforts to call upon her magic were futile. Ice refused to spike out of the floor and shatter these...magical chains.

As she struggled desperately against her restraints, Kayla approached her with a look of...awe? "Interesting," she breathed. "We weren't sure what was going to happen. Do not fear, Your Worship," she bowed. "All will soon be set right."

White smoke began to appear throughout the room. Then, with an eager swing inward, the door on the far side of the chamber opened to reveal a dozen individuals. They were a strange assortment of men and women; their varying skin tones revealing a diverse collection of nationalities. Yet it was the woman who brought up the rear that truly caught the Queen's interest.

"Hello Elsa," Evangeline smiled.


	65. The Fall

Finally, she had gotten rid of him. No matter how many times she defeated him effortlessly, Frye continued to demand a rematch. Hour after hour, she continuously beat him into the ground. He never stopped. Afraid of seeing him collapse due to exhaustion, she at last managed to break away by saying she had an appointment to meet with Elsa. Ignoring his protests as she hurried out the room (claiming to be running late) was undiplomatic, but it was better than the controversy that would ensue if he was found unconscious.

Now, to find her Queen.

\

Elsa couldn't believe her eyes. She'd been lured into a trap...by Evangeline no less. How? Why? The spymaster had proven her loyalty a dozen times over. She'd protected Elsa's parents from several threats, devoted herself to stopping Drell's conspiracy, and fought beside Anna to bring the mastermind to justice. She couldn't be a traitor.

"Good work, young one," Evangeline said to Kayla. "Now, go keep watch for any...unwelcome distractions." Nodding, the servant girl bowed deeply to Elsa before leaving through the door they'd came in.

"What the hell is going on here, Evangeline!?" Elsa demanded, still struggling desperately against her magical binds. Whatever they were, their presence was neutralizing her powers. Try as she might, the Queen could not create a single snowflake.

The spymaster smiled before dipping into a low bow. "History, Your Worship. After thousands of years of chaos, we are bringing order to this world. For countless centuries, we have waited for your return. Now, at last, that moment is upon us."

A dozen men and women had accompanied her; they now filtered throughout the room, standing around the restrained Queen in a circle. As Elsa watched incredulously, they began to speak in a deep, unfamiliar language that the monarch had never heard before. White smoke continued to spread throughout the room.

"They're reversing the spell," Evangeline explained. "The one that destroyed you, in this very room, thousands of years ago."

The Queen was utterly horrified. And as Elsa's mind rapidly connected the dots, her terror only grew. "You're trying to bring the Goddess back," she breathed. "The one I'm a reincarnation of. You...you've known, just like Drell did."

Evangeline smiled. "I've devoted my life to protecting you, Your Worship. Our ancestors have preserved throughout the centuries, waiting for the chance to serve you again. Although I must admit, I'm surprised you've known the truth. We believed that none of the Goddess's memories remained within you."

"I didn't. Anna had...visions of the past. The past that Drell spoke about. That night was the first we learned about any of this crap." Her mind was still spinning. She had so many questions. And so much disappointment. All this time, her best agent had been...

The monarch sighed. "Enough games. Who are you people? And what the hell do you want?"

"You know some pieces of the story," Evangeline replied. "We are the Faithful. When you ruled the earth, we were your trusted and loyal lieutenants. But from within our own ranks, a rebellion grew. The traitors ambushed and all but destroyed your magnificence," she explained, her voice filled with pitch black venom. "But there is so much more than Drell's watered down tale to your real history."

Remaining silent, Elsa continued to glare at her spymaster. Around the room, the chanting continued. The white haze was growing ever stronger.

"There was a war between the gods, after which you were the only one who remained. Yet only a few know this: you were not a bystander, Your Worship. You were the instigator. You knew, as the gods squabbled over their spheres of influence, that this world needed a single, firm hand to guide it. The disagreements between the King of the Gods and his critics provided the perfect opportunity. Discreetly, you engineered a very interesting fate for the human girl he loved. When he raised her to his side regardless, as you knew he would, the dissenters could take it no more. The spark was lit. And as the world was plunged into war, you proclaimed your neutrality."

Elsa's heart lurched. She...she had been an evil goddess? Started a war that all but destroyed the planet just so she could rule over the ashes? Bile rose in her throat. She and Anna had believed her past self to have been a peacemaker, one who had tried to maintain order after the other gods had been banished before being unjustly betrayed. But this...

"You knew of the King's weakness: his sentimentality. The war would not end until the gods were banished, and you patiently waited for the King to realize that doing so was the only way to preserve humanity. In preparation, you created barriers strong enough to protect you from his spell. And when it was complete, the world was yours for the taking."

"Then why the hell are you bringing me...her, back? Someone so evil and powerful that they all but destroyed the world for their personal gain?" Elsa demanded.

Evangeline scoffed. "Evil? You're a Queen, not a child. Morality is a concept created by the weak. Strength is all that truly matters in this world. The Goddess was one of the most powerful gods, and the only one with the fortitude to abandon the shackles of 'good and evil'. Your new world embraced that philosophy; power determined one's place, not ethics. Under your reign, the natural order was allowed to thrive."

"You're sick," Elsa spat. "Brainwashed by the 'Order' you were born into." These teachings had obviously been passed down by the Faithful for thousands of years, each successive generation indoctrinating the next.

"Soon, Your Worship, you will understand. Drell's group was misled from the very beginning. The prophecy was given to the Faithful soon after you were betrayed. The rebels believed their spy managed to find a copy. They were wrong. The Faithful had suspected a spy hid within their ranks from the very beginning, and thought it prudent to restrict the truth to only the most trusted members. A distorted version of the prophecy was given to the rest of the order. The rebel spy was one of those fooled," Evangeline explained.

The white smoke continued to spread.

"The real prophecy reads such as this: Two thousand years shall pass. And in the land of the golden flower the goddess will be reborn. Clothed in human flesh, beget to a King; first of his name. In her prime, her sires will fall, and the crown will mark her. But she shall return weakened in body, and wiped in mind. Yet, when the Goddess is returned to the place of betrayal, the latter will be restored. And when her domain has spread to the far corners of the earth, the world shall know divinity once more."

Elsa's eyes widened in shock. Drell's version had never mentioned anything about her mind being erased. And this version made terrible sense. So...they were trying to restore her mind. The mind of an evil and powerful Goddess.

\

"I believe she went searching for you," Marisol said. "She was heading towards the underbuilding. I do hope you didn't injure Frye too badly...

"Not at all, Your Majesty," Anna replied. "When I left, he still wanted a rematch. Other than his bruised pride, he's fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must find my Queen." With a final bow to Marisol, she turned and left the office.

Suspicion gnawed at her mind. Why would Elsa have been led to the basement? Anna had never been near there. And if there was ever a place to ambush someone like Elsa, underground would be the perfect place.

No. Her overactive mind was just being paranoid. But then again, if she was wrong, there would be no harm in looking into the situation. Wearing a frown of grim determination, Anna took off hurrying for the staircase.

\

"It doesn't matter what you do," Elsa proclaimed. "I'm never going to turn into some power-crazed zealot. That's not who I am. And when I get out of here, you're going to pay," she promised. "I will not allow myself to be possessed by anyone, past-self or otherwise."

Evangeline shook her head. "You will not be possessed, Your Worship. All that will occur is that your memories will be returned to you. You'll remember both of your lifetimes. And once you recall the past, you will be thanking the Faithful for our efforts to restore you."

"Never," Elsa snarled.

"You'll remember that power is the only real constant in the world," Evangeline promised. "The Goddess ruled over all of humanity, which was only natural, given her nearly incomprehensible power. But there was a hierarchy under her feet. Wealth and privilege all meant nothing. Only those with the Gift were valued by the Goddess; all the others were obligated to serve them."

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "Magic," she intoned, and Evangeline nodded. "But you don't have..."

Elsa stopped. In an instant, Evangeline's body (clothes and all) vanished in a haze of black mist. Half a second later, she appeared several feet to Elsa's right, looking none the worse for the wear.

"I control the power of darkness, Your Worship," the spymaster revealed to the shocked monarch. "On the surface, it is a humble ability. I can use the power of shadow to teleport within a short distance. But imagine the possibilities. With my weapons skill, I can strike from anywhere...from all directions...simultaneously. And none save yourself could ever hope to touch me. All of us..." she gestured to her still-chanting compatriots..."Possess some sort of magical skill. We've kept the bloodlines of magic alive, and with much more success than Drell's pathetic band. We have our share of Ungifted in our ranks, of course, but they know their place and serve their superiors."

The Queen's mind reeled. This was too much to take in all at once.

"Kayla," Evangeline continued, "Has an ability perhaps even more impressive than my own. With a single touch from her hands, any animal becomes her devoted slave...and gains increased strength and speed."

"The wolves who attacked Anna," Elsa gasped. "How...how much have you been behind?"

"Far more than you could ever imagine, Your Worship. We have agents in nearly every nation on earth. Drell's followers were nowhere near as widespread. They believed us gone, never dreaming that we had continued in greater form than their pathetic order could ever dream of. From the day of your birth, Your Worship, we knew you were the one we had waited for. Although the prophecy expressed certainty, we intended to bring it to bear as soon as possible."

In her prime, her sires will fall. No! These people had...they'd killed...

"Your father fit the description of a King, the first of his name, of the land of the golden flower. And so our agents, myself included, protected him and his wife. When they bore a child, and that child exhibited the power of ice, we knew you were the one. The prophecy said that her sires will fall in her prime, and so we kept them alive and protected them from all threats until you turned eighteen. Then, during their final voyage, one of agents on board sacrificed himself and destroyed their..."

"You killed my parents!" Elsa bellowed. She reached her hands forward, itching to close them around her spymaster's throat. Her entire body shook with rage. Not since Anna's rescue from Lucrania had she felt such hate. And all this time...all this time she had trusted the woman in front of her. The mastermind behind the deaths of her parents.

Evangeline nodded. "All that was left to bring you here, the exact spot where you had been betrayed. We knew we had to be careful; one mistake could set us back decades, and we had thrived by being discreet. Eventually, we found two willing traitors in the Royal Guard. Once we had you, we would have brought you here. But someone got in the way."

"Anna," Elsa hissed.

The spymaster scowled. "For months she's been both a thorn in our side and our greatest asset. She kept you alive, but also prevented us from helping you realize your destiny. We tried to kill her during her journey, though Drell's group did send the first group of men. The assassination plot during the Solstice was them as well. But we organized the conflict between Albion and Lucrania, simply to buy time and keep you distracted. Jocasta was one of our agents."

These people better hope that she never got free. Elsa couldn't think of a punishment worthy of those who killed her parents and tortured her beloved, but she would gladly spend the rest of her life trying to find one.

"To assure you of my loyalty, Jocasta was 'captured' by my agents. I was the one who had her killed, of course. She was loyal to our cause, and understood that her failure to obtain information from Anna warranted such a punishment. The entire time, however, I was trying to protect you from Drell's group. We knew why they wanted to kill you, but not who they were. After the uprising they organized, I was forced to work with Anna in bringing them down."

Elsa remembered how Anna had described Jocasta's hatred of her...almost as if it was personal. "If she was protecting me, why the fuck did you try to kill her?" the monarch demanded. "Especially since she was better at it than you ever were! She has powerful magic; by your standards, isn't she someone who would be honored?!"

"Anna was always a threat. We knew that when once made our move, she would use all of her abilities to stop it. Why do we hate her?" Evangeline asked icily. "Her magic, Your Worship, doesn't come from your healing abilities. It exists because of the romantic attachment between the two of you; a phenomenon weaved into the fabric of the world by the King of the Gods at the behest of his most pathetic followers. The very nature of her powers is a perversion. And we all know that you...the real you, would never have even deigned to look at her. She defiles you with her touch."

On any other day, this would have been a major revelation, but at the moment Elsa really couldn't care less.

"I helped her stop Drell, yes. I'm not stupid; it was a golden opportunity. But after he was defeated, I sent my men to go find her. Not to save her, but to finish her off. I knew there was a chance she might survive, and it turns out that I was correct. Still, it doesn't matter. We were not certain how to get you to Eldora, especially with Anna protecting you. Then, Daniel Frye won Eldora's Grand Tournament."

Frye. That was the man who had challenged Anna. "So?" Elsa demanded.

"He is one of the Ungifted within the Faithful, but he knows his duty is to serve those with magic, and, above all, serve his Goddess. His victory and previous loyalty allowed him entry into Eldora's Royal Guards. From there, he used his access to slowly poison the King over a space of several months. It's a rare concoction, but one some of the Faithful are practiced in creating. It causes gradual heart problems, simulating natural illness, all while slowly killing the victim with gradual doses. Once he was dead, we knew you would be invited here. All that was left was to distract Anna, which Frye is currently doing, and then lead you to this room. A rather anti-climatic end to thousands of years of preparation, I suppose," Evangeline noted. "But it will be well worth it.

So, these people had killed Marisol's father. Was there a death they hadn't caused?

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Evangeline asked. "After all her efforts, Anna has accomplished nothing. All she did was delay your rise for several months. And now, all her victories and struggles are going to be rewarded by the betrayal of the one person she loves."

Elsa's hands trembled with rage. "No matter what I remember, I will never hurt Anna."

"The real you will despise her. She is weak, foolish, and about as intelligent as a rock. The only reason she's had any value to you is because of her stolen magic. I look forward to seeing how you punish her. Killing her or forcing her back out into the cold...I wonder which you will decide is more fitting?"

All around her, the white smoke was closing in.

"Evangeline," Elsa snarled. "You should just kill me now. Because if I get free, the rest of your life is going to be spent in perpetual agony. I won't care if you're defenseless...if you're crying for mercy. You'll be begging for death, but death will be too merciful for you. If you had wanted to awaken the wrath of the Goddess, then you have succeeded," she hissed.

The spymaster simply smiled. "If you ever deem me worthy of punishment, Your Worship, once your memories have returned, I will gladly submit to your will. Your power gives you that right. But I do not think you will be angry with me for much longer. Honestly, I would not be surprised if you rewarded me for my efforts. All my life, I have looked forward to being your humble servant."

All of the room was covered in white haze now, and all of it seemed to slowly be converging on Elsa. The chanters, their faces barely illuminated by the dim glow of torches, were looking on with fanatic eagerness.

"I'd never agree with your actions...your worldview. If I'm the reincarnation of someone so evil, how could I be so completely different from my past self?" Elsa questioned.

"Are you? Are you really? You murdered King David in cold blood. You kill those who oppose you without a second thought. You were even willing to use your power to bully two countries into obeying your authority. Your true nature has been tempered, yes, but it still shines through when it needs to. The upbringing you received from your pathetic parents is no doubt responsible for subduing your true personality. But once your memories return..."

They were so certain that she would convert to their side. Lead their side. What exactly was this spell doing? Would it allow her previous personality to possess and take over her body? Or was it merely going to return her memories of a previous life? If so, and as disturbing as that would be, it would not alter Elsa's entire personality and convince her that might made right.

At least, she hoped so.

If Elsa became what they wanted her to be, the consequences were unthinkable. The entire world would be unable to stand against her. If she became evil, what would happen to Arendelle? Her heart lurched. What would happen to Anna?

Would she be able to stop me?

"What then?" Elsa scoffed. "You 'restore' my mind, then what? We take over the world together?" The Queen wasn't sure how this information would be useful, but if she somehow got out of this, anything was possible.

"No. You will assume your rightful place as Empress of the Earth. The Faithful will resume our roles as your lieutenants and servants. Magic users will again stand above the Ungifted masses. And every country on earth will learn how meaningless the concept of freedom truly is. The world, of course, will have to be punished for rejecting your rule, though that punishment will be left up to your discretion, of course," Evangeline explained.

It was such a sickening worldview. How could Evangeline had pretended to be normal for so long? How had Elsa's own past self ever believed such nonsense...such malevolence? This couldn't be allowed to happen! Despite herself, Elsa found her eyes staring at the door, hoping Anna would burst in and save her once again. Even if the Knight couldn't overpower the entire cult by herself, all she would have to do was slash through Elsa's magical binds. Then the Queen could do the rest herself.

But Anna didn't appear.

"First, of course, we must awaken your true power. This ritual will only be enough to revitalize your mind, not your strength. The prophecy is clear; when your domain covers the entire earth, your godly power will be restored in full. Drell's prophecy mentioned the same thing, but with one key difference."

Elsa stared at her, fists still shaking with rage.

"The version we gave to the rebels said that if your domain covers the entire earth, your powers would be restored. As spoken by the Seer, however, the line was: when her domain covers the entire earth. Seers are never wrong, Elsa. Not once in history have their prophecies been wrong about anything. So take heart, the future is inevitable. We will succeed. You will manage to bring the entire earth under control, and your godly power will awaken," Evangeline promised.

The Queen said nothing.

"The future, Your Worship, has already been written. And it is going to be your future."


	66. Fallen: Chapter 1

Anna bounded down the final staircase, two steps at a time. The dread at the back of her mind was steadily increasing. All her instincts were screaming that something was terribly wrong. Why would Elsa have been led down here? Few of the explanations were good. She opened the door, stepping into the hallway-

"Hello, milady." Kayla was standing in the middle of the hallway, having just been headed for the staircase herself.

"Have you seen Elsa?" the Knight asked immediately.

The young maid nodded. "She was down here, looking for you. One of her guards said that he thought he had seen you come down here, and she was worried that you would accidentally injure Frye. Her Majesty told me to search for you down here, while she went to go search the upper rooms. I imagine she is still up there."

Anna sighed with relief. "I was just up there...must have missed her on the way down," she mused. "I'm going to go find her. Gods, sometimes it's as if she has no faith in me. I'm not stupid enough to hurt Eldora's prized champion."

"Of course not, milady," Kayla smiled.

The Knight nodded. "Thanks. Well, I'd better go track her down. See you later, Kayla." Allowing her relief to sweep through her, the Knight turned around and began to walk up the staircase. Sometimes, it seemed, paranoia wasn't warranted. For once, something had turned out not to be a crisis.

\

Elsa twisted in her bonds, desperately trying to avoid the white smoke converging upon her. It began to fill the Queen's mouth. She coughed it out desperately, but the haze was undettered; it continued to eagerly travel towards the monarch's lungs. For a few terrifying moments, Elsa could not breathe.

Maybe that was a good thing. The horror that she was capable of unleashing on the world...it was too awful to think about. Anna might never recover from the sight of seeing Elsa's body, but it might be even worse for the Knight if Evangeline had her way. Would her past self simply kill Anna outright, or would her fate be even worse than death?

She shut her lips tightly, desperately trying to keep out the smoke. Then, a strange sensation in her arms made her look down. The mist was lingering around her flesh...slowly seeping into her skin through the infinitesimal pores that dotted her arms. No!

Raising her head, she fixed Evangeline with a deadly glare. "You are going to regret this," she promised. "Even if the Goddess possesses me...even if you find yourself rewarded today, you are going to die for this. If I don't kill you, Anna will. She's stopped you before, and she will do it again. Whether that means saving me or avenging me...it doesn't matter."

The spymaster smiled. "You will not be possessed. You will simply remember," she said firmly. "And as for Anna, I have no doubt that she would try. Fortunately, Your Worship, I shall have you protecting me. Anna has proven capable of defeating the mages of both Drell's order and the Faithful, but that is only because she's had access to a portion of your power. All she has ever been is a nuisance, propelled to petty victories by luck and stolen magic. Against a true Goddess, she will prove to be nothing."

Elsa opened her mouth to respond, but the mist was making it impossible to concentrate. Flashes of the past began to appear in her mind, even as darkness started to take over the edges of her vision. Gritting her teeth, the Queen tried to focus her mind on Anna. If nothing else, the Knight's warm smile was a good thought to go out on.

Anna, I...

\

The magical binds vanished. The last of the white mist disappeared. Evangeline found herself staring at the woman now standing in the center of the room. Elsa smiled, stretching out her arms slightly as if getting a feel for them. Any doubts the spymaster might have had vanished as the Goddess fixed her with an approving stare.

All around her, the Faithful dropped to their knees before their mistress. Evangeline, still stunned that they had finally succeeded, was one of the last to bow. Her eyes fell to the floor, staring at the Goddess's feet.

For a moment, the room was utterly silent.

"Well done," Elsa intoned. "It appears that not all of my trust was misplaced; some of my lieutenants were worthy of their gifts. Worry not. Your faith will be rewarded in the new world that we shall build together. You may rise," she continued, lightly gesturing with one hand. "With the return of my memories has come renewed clarity. I do not fault any of you for any of your actions. This, I promise."

Evangeline's heart was pounding. She had been waiting this moment for her entire life, and now that it had finally arrived, she could scarcely believe it. Almost giddy with joy, the spymaster rose to her feet and awaited her first divine command.

"For now," the Goddess frowned, "We must bide our time. There is nothing to gain by causing a commotion here...surrounded by many so-called world leaders. Once we arrive back in Arendelle, our plans will begin to move forward."

Brow furrowing in confusion, Evangeline rose her eyes to meet the icy pupils of the Goddess. "Forgive me, Your Worship, but is now not the perfect time to strike? With so many powerful individuals within easy reach...capturing or killing the lot of them would make your pending conquest far easier."

"Conquest?" Elsa asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

A flicker of nervousness returned in the spymaster's chest. Had the Goddess been changed by her years as a mortal? Did she no longer desire to return the world to its natural order? "Yes, Your Worship. The prophecy clearly states that your domain must cover the entire earth to return to your full strength. Is that not what you wish?"

Elsa took a step towards Evangeline, and the spymaster reflexively flinched back.

"Fear not. My goals and desires have not changed. Yes, I intend to regain my divinity by any means necessary. But such crude methods..." she chuckled, raising a hand to her lips to hide her amusement, "Are not needed. My domain does not refer to Arendelle. It refers to this." She raised her hand, creating a small swirl of snow above her palm. "Military conquest is not what the prophecy entails. After my strength is returned, of course, I shall indeed take my place as Empress of the planet. But the struggle will be over so quickly that it will scarcely be referred to as a war."

Evangeline sighed with relief. "Of course, Your Worship."

"For the moment, I am still mortal...and thus vulnerable. In my weakened state, it shall take several months to accumulate enough power for the spell I need. There is no need to cause commotion during that time; it would gain us nothing," Elsa explained.

A spell? Elsa's magic, even diminished as it was, had no limits that Evangeline had ever discerned. Whatever this magic was, it would entail more than a simple global winter. "And what of Anna, Your Worship?" she questioned.

For the first time, the Goddess sneered. "She is the exception. As moronic as she is, it is likely she would eventually realize something was different. Anna knew me, the fake me, too well. We cannot take the chance that she will interfere again. I will not move against her here, what with my scatterbrained cousin and that swindler she calls a husband so near. Once we return to Arendelle, I shall deal with her. And she will be punished for her transgressions."

\

After breaking up the gathering of the Faithful, Elsa reluctantly went in search of Anna. If there was anything that could derail her plans, it would be creating an episode of some kind in front of all these mortal 'leaders'. It was best to make them think that nothing of any sort was wrong. By the time they realized what was happening, it would already be too late.

Elsa. If there was one thing her pathetic so called parents had gotten right, it was her name. The Goddess had not possessed such a moniker before; there had been no need. Still, she could not deny that the name had a nice ring to it. It suited the Goddess of Winter. Perhaps, in today's modern world with its evolved social customs, it would be prudent to keep it even after she returned to power.

Goddess had devolved into an abstract term from the distant past. If her subjects only knew her by that title, it might serve to downplay her importance in their minds...make her rule seem more distant than it really was. Elsa was real. It was a name of both power and beauty, and would serve to remind her subjects how they existed only to serve her whims.

And so that is how she would be known. Elsa, Goddess of Winter. Empress of the Earth.

"There you are!"

She rounded a corner to find a certain redhead running to her. "You had me worried!" Anna exclaimed, embracing the Queen in a tight hug. "I've been looking for you for hours. Marisol said you were looking for me and I-"

"I'm fine, Anna," Elsa replied, putting on her best smile. How had she ever been attracted to this...pitiful mortal? Someone so weak and helpless that they barely deserved to exist, let alone share a bed with a Goddess. Simply thinking about the...intimacy they had shared made Elsa want to vomit.

I gave her everything. And she has the gall to expect my love? Defile me with her touch? She was never even worthy to stand in my presence. She was tempted to simply kill the girl now and be done with it. But then Rapunzel would doubtlessly move against her, and the rest of the world would be horrified. No; she would have to wait. Regardless, death was probably too good for Anna. Why give her an easy end when she could lock the 'Knight' in her dungeons for the remainder of her life?

It's a shame Jocasta had to be killed. Hopefully Evangeline knows some of her tricks.

From a strategic standpoint, it would be even better to wait until the spell was prepared. Anna's stolen powers posed a small threat to her, and it would be preferable to not have to oppose her until Elsa's full strength returned. But the Goddess couldn't pretend that she still loved the girl for long, and Anna would likely start asking difficult questions. Not to mention...

I have to move against her as soon as we return. It would be easiest to simply stab her in the back and be done with it, but then people would become very suspicious. Word would spread to Corona and other nations that my consort was assassinated, and if word leaked out that I was responsible, it would jeopardize everything. Better to proclaim her a traitor and have her imprisoned. People would still be surprised, but it would create much less of a reaction. And I can make her suffer in the dungeons with no one on the outside any the wiser. I'll still have to keep Rapunzel placated, of course, but it would be much easier than if I outright killed Anna or claimed she mysteriously disappeared.

Her dim-witted 'cousin' might prove to be a nuisance, but nothing that Elsa couldn't handle. Besides, the Princess would be distracted by her pregnancy. What Rapunzel did not know is that her child would not undergo a normal term. The Princess had gained her magic from a golden flower...the last one on earth. In a previous age, the Goddess of Healing had used such plants as a vehicle to reward her chosen followers with a portion of her magic.

Now imbued with that magic, Rapunzel was certain to pass it on to her child. What Elsa and the Faithful knew, and Rapunzel did not, was that pregnancies involving magic took significantly longer than average. The transfer of magic took time, and caused a delay in the baby's growth. The end result would be a healthy child wielding his or her mother's magic, but it would take a few extra months.

Should I warn her? On one hand, she would likely panic when the stomach failed to grow quickly enough, and that would distract her from Anna's situation. However, if she panics significantly, she might come to Arendelle and seek my help. No, better to inform her now.

\

"Anna, it's only been a month. I doubt you can hear anything," Rapunzel smiled.

The Knight lifted her ear from Rapunzel's stomach to look the Princess in the eyes. "Just because the baby is really small doesn't mean I can't hear it. And I think I heard it saying something," Anna pouted.

Rapunzel suppressed a giggle. No doubt due to her less than stellar education, Anna had no idea how pregnancy actually worked. Apparently, the Knight believed that the baby was already fully formed...just incredibly small. Attempting to listen to the baby appeared to make Anna happy, and the Princess had no intention of informing her that the child was little more than a small speck months away from developing a mouth.

"What are you going to name it? Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Anna questioned rapidly.

With a frown, the Princess sighed. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. Whether it's a boy or a girl, Eugene and I haven't decided on any names yet. For a girl, I actually wouldn't have minded using your name; I might have if it wasn't already taken."

"My name?" Anna asked.

Rapunzel nodded. "It's short and simple, but it has a nice ring to it. It's a shame that people always mispronounce it," she noted.

The Knight smiled in agreement. "You don't know how many times I've been called An-a. Seriously? Is Ah-na that hard to remember? It's only two syllables!" she joked. Rapunzel couldn't help but agree; she really did like how Anna's name sounded. Unfortunately, having more than one Anna running around would probably get confusing, so even if her child was a girl, Rapunzel would probably have to pick something else.

"I still can't believe you named me surrogate. I mean...me?"

Rapunzel wrapped her arm around the Knight. "You've risked your life to save mine more than once without even thinking. Your duty was to protect Elsa; you've never had an obligation to protect me. You've proven to be the best friend I could ask for, and there's no one else I would trust more with my child. "

Anna nodded. "Thanks. Still, it's just...ten months ago to this day, I was a thief trying to rob Elsa. Now I'm being trusted as a potential guardian to the possible heir to the Coronan throne."

"You're also about to become Queen of Arendelle, remember? Pretty soon, you are going to outrank me. I hope you don't make me address you as Your Majesty," Rapunzel replied with a playful tone.

Anna giggled. "I'm actually going to try making everyone call me by my first name. Or at least ask them to stick to Lady Anna. I want to help the people of Arendelle, not stand above them. Elsa has to do that...someone must be presented as a symbol of authority. But I want to be seen as a patron, not a ruler."

"You know, a lot of people in your situation...swept up into riches and luxury, and now also royalty, would have let it go to their heads. I think you're going to make an excellent Queen, Anna."

"I-"

With a low groan, the door to Rapunzel's chambers opened. Elsa stood in the doorway with a purposeful look in her eyes. Eugene, standing next to her, appeared thoroughly bewildered. "We need to talk," Elsa said shortly. "I've told Eugene already, and it's time that you know as well."

"What's going on?" the Princess questioned.

"I'll get right to the heart of it. The last time I talked with the trolls of Arendelle, their leader gave me some interesting information about pregnancies. When either the mother or the father possesses magic, the odds are extremely likely that the child will possess those powers as well," the Queen revealed.

Rapunzel's heart leapt. The question of her child inheriting her magic was one that the Princess had been pondering for some time, and Elsa's words delighted her. It would always be useful to have another Healer walking around, and it meant that her precious baby would be able to heal itself even if it's mother was not nearby. Unfortunately, however, Elsa did not appear finished.

"But there is a cost. The transfer of magic takes time, and distracts the body's resources from other aspects of the pregnancy. In short, the time it takes for the child to come to full term is significantly longer than average. It will be as healthy and developed as any other child upon its birth, but the time it takes to get to that point will be longer," the Queen warned.

What? Rapunzel had been looking forward to the journey of pregnancy, even while dreading the pain she would go through at the end of it. But for longer than nine months? "How long?" she asked suddenly.

"Pabbie was very clear. A year at the least. Probably closer to a year and two months. He said the record was around sixteen months, but his documentation isn't always clear, and instances of magic among humans have declined in recent centuries," Elsa explained.

Sixteen months?!

"You've never told me this before," an equally shocked Anna breathed.

Elsa shrugged. "It never really came up. I thought my dear cousin would like to know before she started wondering why her child's development was several months behind. Anyway, Rapunzel, you shouldn't worry. These pregnancies, according to Pabbie, almost never suffer from any complications. The only difference is the amount of time involved. In the end, your child is more likely to be healthy than a regular baby."

That was good. But still...a year or more of pregnancy?

\

Leaving her stunned relatives behind, Elsa left to organize the details of the return to Arendelle. She understood why the Faithful had brought her to Eldora, but it was a nation she never wanted to visit again. Here was where she had fallen...betrayed by both her followers and her own self-confidence. Once her strength had returned, the Goddess would see this Castle wiped off the face of the Earth.

The people of this land would be punished for their transgressions. They had not been the ones to betray her, no, but they had reaped the benefits of her fall. No one could explain the scientific rationale behind Eldora's strange weather because it was not a matter of science. The act of destroying the Goddess of Winter had released magic so powerful that its effects would linger forever. The essence of winter had been destroyed here, but not without first changing the land forever. The divine essence of cold had worked its magic on the desert country, transforming much of it into a temperate land.

The people who had benefited from this fortuitous phenomenon would see their sins punished. Once at full strength, Elsa would amplify the magic that lingered in Eldora's air and change it into a land of eternal winter. Its people who survived would be forced to continue to eke out a living in the harsh new environment even as they were commanded to build temples in Elsa's name.

But she was thinking too far ahead. There were many who would suffer for their actions before the Eldorans. The first of those people was standing right beside Elsa, smiling and holding her hand as they boarded the ship.


	67. Bonus Scene 2

A/N: Here's a scene you all have wanted to see for some time. It's a flashback taking place during Chapter 61, depicting Anna's entire conversation with a certain woman. Some very interesting information is revealed.

"Fear not. As long as you are made aware of the truth, you and your Queen will have nothing to worry about. You likely have thirty minutes before you wake, and we have wasted enough time dawdling. So...listen closely," the goddess intoned.

Anna nodded.

"Arms Master Drell was behind several of the tragedies that have befallen you this last few months. His group, however, was not the only conspiracy that stalked your steps. Nor, for that matter, the most dangerous. He intended to destroy the Goddess before she could return to power. Your other enemies, meanwhile, desire to return Elsa to full strength," the woman revealed.

The Knight frowned, still trying to digest all of what was happening to her. "So...wouldn't that be a good thing?" She could imagine it...Elsa invincible and immortal. A benevolent Goddess who used her abilities to better the lives of her people. Who knew what she could be capable of? And Anna would be right there, at her side, helping to serve as her conscience. And, wouldn't our relationship make me immortal too? She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that, but an eternity with Elsa didn't sound so horrible.

With a sigh, the other woman shook her head. Pity was plain upon her face, but she did not hesitate. "Child, you do not know what you speak of. The Winter Goddess of the past was not the Elsa you now know. We did not realize it until too late, but the entire war...the war that all but destroyed the world, was her doing. It was all for the sake of establishing her dominance over the earth."

"No!" Anna shouted, fists now clenching in rage. "Elsa would never do anything like that! She'd kill herself before she murdered innocents for her own gain!"

Her companion closed her eyes, appearing to look deep back into the past. "I assure you Anna, murdering innocents was one of the Goddess's more mundane crimes," she replied, her voice almost pained. "We didn't see it until the end, but she was prepared to do anything to increase her own power. She lit the world on fire and played us all for fools," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "I will never forget..."

"I can't believe that!" Anna interrupted. No...it wasn't possible. Elsa wasn't perfect, but the Queen was perhaps the kindest, most noble women she knew. No one who took in a starving thief and gave her a life of plenty out of the goodness of her heart would ever be capable of such crimes.

"This was not your Elsa, child," the other woman continued. "I do not pretend to know what has changed her. Perhaps it was only her divinity that transferred into her reincarnation, leaving her personality behind. Or perhaps her upbringing by good parents prevented her malicious traits from taking form."

Anna could accept the first explanation, but she wasn't sure how she felt about the second. "Does it matter?" she asked. "Suddenly becoming stronger isn't going to turn her into an evil monster," she pointed out. "No matter what she did in the past, the Elsa that exists now would never use those powers for murder and domination."

"No," the other woman agreed. "She likely would not. But I'm afraid that the prophecy that was given to Drell's group was tampered with. It was originally proclaimed to the Goddess's faithful, and the version given to the suspected spy was altered. Unlike what Drell believed, before Elsa's domain covers the entire earth, her mind will be restored."

Anna's eyes widened. "So that means her previous personality will..."

Her companion nodded. "Return, yes. The Faithful believe that this process will simply return Elsa's memories, and that this will be enough to restore her true personality. But although the way they have preserved their magic and beliefs, as perverse as they are, is impressive, their knowledge of magic is incomplete."

"So...Elsa would be fine?" Anna asked hopefully.

"No. Quite the opposite, in fact. My King cannot see the future, but his knowledge of magic surpasses any being past or present. And although a Goddess reincarnating has never occurred before, instances that are not dissimilar have happened in the past. The King believes that the soul of Elsa's current self...your Elsa, would lose control of her body and be submerged in darkness forever, while the soul of the Winter Goddess would rise to take her place in that body. The memories of both incarnations would remain present, but only the Goddess would be left in possession of them," the woman warned.

A shiver of fear slivered down Anna's spine. Around her, the world was growing more solid, and the Knight couldn't escape the feeling that her return to the waking world was drawing near. "So, Elsa…my Elsa…would...die?"

For the first time, her companion winced. "Worse, child. Her time on this earth would end, yes. But her spirit would continue to linger on...trapped in a dark limbo. Even though she would have lost control of it, the still-living body that she had inhabited would tether her soul to the mortal realm. At that point, the only way to release the Elsa you knew and allow her to journey to the Realm Beyond and find peace...would be to kill the Goddess that had stolen her form."

"I would never kill Elsa," Anna snarled.

The other woman observed her critically. "At that point, cutting down her body would be an act of mercy on your part. But fear not. You will not have to take any such action as long as the Faithful do not succeed in their efforts. Long ago, the Goddess employed mortals who could wield magic as her lieutenants. She taught them that their abilities made them superior to their fellow mortals. After the rebels turned on her, the Faithful remained...faithful. Their descendants still remain loyal to their cause, corrupted by a sickening worldview that has been passed down for centuries, and many of their number possess a degree of magic. Their leader...and most powerful member...is the woman you know as Evangeline."

Anna gasped in shock. Evangeline?! Elsa's trusted spymaster? It didn't seem possible. The two of them had fought side-by-side mere hours before. With narrowing eyes, the Knight looked upon the other woman with suspicion. Was it truly wise to trust this visitor that had appeared out of thin air?

"I see you doubt me. But a simple test will confirm my words. Have your Queen proclaim to Evangeline that her mind has already returned, and that she appreciates the efforts of the Faithful; have her promise that she will reward them in the new world. The spymaster's reaction will erase any doubts," her visitor promised.

The Knight considered her words. Such a test would not do any harm, would it? Still, she had more questions. "Why has Evangeline taken so long to act? And how would they even 'restore Elsa's mind' anyway?"

"Evangeline has been careful to steer events as the prophecy has foretold. She murdered Elsa's parents only after their daughter came of age, and..."

"They what?!" Even now, nearly six years after their deaths, Anna could see the pain that their loss still caused Elsa. When she awoke, and if this woman was indeed telling the truth, Anna would see to it that Evangeline regretted ever stepping foot in Arendelle.

The other woman sighed. "Yes; they have been responsible for many things, but we are running out of time. They have been cautious. Their goal has been to take Elsa to the Eldoran Palace, the exact place her previous incarnation was destroyed thousands of years ago. Once she stands at the precise spot where that event occurred, the ritual will begin. Within minutes, the Elsa you know will have been submerged forever. Already, one of their agents has discreetly murdered that nation's King."

"And so Elsa will be invited there to see the heir's coronation," Anna breathed. The scenario that played out was unthinkable...yet all too possible. Elsa would be possessed with no one any the wiser. The Knight couldn't help but shut her eyes in fear. Her love would be trapped in a fate worse than death, she herself would be at the mercy of a vengeful Goddess who would probably despise her, and the entire world would be at risk. Would she be capable of stopping someone with Elsa's powers? Would anyone?

At the edge of her mind, Anna could hear Elsa's voice. I'm waking up!

"We are out of time. I am sure you till have questions, but you have learned all that you need to know. Deal with Evangeline and keep Elsa away from Eldora," her visitor intoned, "And you shall have nothing to fear."

Before she awoke, a sudden, fearful thought crept into her mind. "Drell said prophecies couldn't be prevented," she remembered. "If the real version says that when Elsa's mind returns…and when her domain-"

"You are correct. My husband had the same concerns. But as knowledgeable as he is, no being knows everything. And I believe he has overlooked one crucial fact. Never has there been interference projected from one realm to another. Prophecies have only ever taken one realm into account, after all. As long as you remember my words now, I am confident that you can alter the future. Good luck, Anna. I doubt we will be fortunate enough to speak again."

"Husband? Are you-?"

But the waking world beckoned, and a microsecond later, Anna's memories of her time in this realm faded away completely.


	68. Fallen: Chapter 2

The journey back to Arendelle was uneventful. And Anna meant that in the worst possible way.

Elsa had never been the blabbermouth that the Knight was, but never had Anna seen the Queen this quiet. Even worse, no matter how many times she asked, Elsa refused to make love to her throughout the entire trip. Claiming that she was feeling ill, the Queen spoke or did little during the entire journey.

She couldn't be having second thoughts about our wedding, could she? No, that's ridiculous! Elsa is the one who proposed, after all, and that night was the happiest I've ever seen her. Still, it was always possible that Elsa was worried about their marriage...purely from a political standpoint. Plenty of people still hated the fact that a woman with absolutely zero lands, money, or titles was courting their Queen, and the announcement of their engagement once they returned was guaranteed to frustrate them all the more. Despite the fact that the conspiracy had been crushed, running a country was never an easy task.

\

"I swear to the gods, Kristoff, call me Your Majesty one more time and my first order of business as Queen of Arendelle will be to lock you in the deepest, darkest cell in the Castle Dungeons," Anna warned.

The ice harvester chuckled, holding up his hands in a placating manner. "Fine," he conceded. "It's just so strange, you becoming, well...a Queen. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job, but you don't have the usual, well..."

"Upbringing?" Anna filled in for him.

"I was going to say temperament, but sure, that too."

Anna sighed. It was the day after their return to Arendelle. Elsa had been busy; the Queen was occupied arranging the details of their engagement announcement. In two days time, she would be accompanying Elsa as the monarch delivered a short speech to the Castle's staff. Soon after, the two of them would travel to the city below for an official public announcement. With her lover's time completely taken up by the preparations, the Knight had elected to visit her friend down in the city.

"Honestly, I don't want people to make a big deal about it. Elsa wants me to have a rank equal to hers, and I'm not going to refuse her that. But it's not as if the country is going to have a new ruler or anything; Elsa is still going to be in charge. I'll just be doing a few things for the less fortunate on the side, with her blessing. Now, the fact that I'm marrying her on the other hand, that they are more than welcome to get excited about," Anna said.

Kristoff plopped onto the sofa next to her, a pint of ale in his hand. "Don't get your hopes up. People care more about who's ruling over them than how big the wedding cake is." Anna opened her mouth to protest but the ice harvester cut her off. "Maybe you won't be their official ruler, but for all intents and purposes you're going to have power over them. You might not care, but they will. At any moment, you could...I don't know...throw one of them in the deepest, darkest cell in the Castle Dungeons."

With a scowl, Anna shook her head. "No, I can't, because you will already be occupying it."

Her friend smirked. "And, of course, there's a far more important matter that it seems you haven't even considered yet."

Anna's lips dipped into a confused frown. "And what is that?"

Taking a large swig of his ale, the ice harvester looked at her sympathetically. "An heir, of course. I assume you realize that a normal conception between you and Elsa is...unlikely."

Her cheeks burning red, Anna nodded. "I know, but it doesn't really matter. If Elsa dies without a child, the throne will pass to the Coronan branch of the family. It's happened before, and the people were fine with it. We don't need to have a child."

Kristoff nodded thoughtfully. "But don't you want one?"

All her life, Anna had always adored children, even if her opportunities to spend time with them had been minimal at best. But the possibility of having them herself had been so remote that Anna had never pondered the question. Living on the streets, one rarely had time to think about starting a family. Even if she'd had the chance to consider the question between sleeping in rags and pilfering from wealthy households, the answer would have been no. Surviving had been hard enough without an extra mouth to feed, and the thief would not have wished the life she'd lived on anyone else.

Over the past year, as she'd lived with Elsa, the possibility had crossed her mind once or twice. But most of her emotional energy had been channeled into her growing relationship with the Queen...first things first, after all. Not to mention, of course, the conspiracy that had wanted both of their heads on a platter.

But now, things were different. Their lives were safe and their relationship was rock solid. With their marriage already being planned, starting a family was their next logical step. Rapunzel's pregnancy had made that reality all the more clear.

Anna had been very happy for the Princess, and incredibly honored to be her child's surrogate. Yet there had been another underlying emotion that was more difficult to identify; now the Knight finally understood what it was. Jealousy.

The Knight wanted a child of her own. Perhaps more than one. She wanted to raise them and love them, giving her children the happy upbringing that she herself had been denied. All of this, of course, alongside Elsa. But, perhaps selfishly, she wanted to carry their children herself. Anna couldn't explain it, but the idea of being pregnant was undeniably attractive to her. Of course, she also wanted any child of hers to be Elsa's as well...a product of both of them. Which, biologically, was impossible.

And, of course, there was the matter of the royal bloodline. It was out of the question that any child the two of them had, either through adoption or pregnancy, not be considered a member of the royal family. Elsa was perfectly content in allowing rulership of Arendelle to pass to the Coronan line, but Anna would never allow her child to be considered a bastard. Which meant, of course, that there was only one option. Elsa, as the one with royal blood flowing through her veins, would need to be the one who was pregnant. Anna didn't even want to think about how they would go about that.

I've never even asked her if she would want a child. I'm sure she would...I think, but would she rather just adopt? Ugh. Sometimes being royalty makes everything more of a pain in the ass.

"I do," Anna finally answered. "And I know that it will be a...difficult process. First things first, though. Marry her already! We'll cross the next bridge when we come to it."

Kristoff nodded. "I am really happy for you, you know. You've been through more hell than most could ever think about. I guess sometimes, perseverance pays off, and you've definitely earned some peace in your life."

The Knight smiled, but a large part of her felt a pang of guilt. Kristoff may have been well off at this point, but he was still alone. Anna's recklessness had helped lead to the death of his one close friend, and even though he didn't blame her, the Knight would never fully forgive herself for setting off that chain of events.

"Anyone special in your life?" she asked hopefully. "Now that you're living in the city, there are plenty of women within easy reach. Or men, if you swing in that direction," the Knight added. "With a thriving business under your thumb and those broad shoulders, you could probably find someone pretty quick."

The ice harvester smiled ruefully, a twinge of sadness in his eyes. "I'm married to the job, I think," he said, dropping his now empty pint onto the wooden table. "Honestly, I'm still getting used to interacting with people on a regular basis; I was raised by talking rocks, you know."

\

Finally, after an entire week spent in the company of the most aggravating person the goddess had ever met, Elsa's torture was about to come to an end.

The only question was how to go about it. Elsa's contempt for the mortal girl who had somehow won her reincarnation's heart did not blind her to Anna's considerable abilities in combat. With Elsa's powers in their diminished state, facing the girl directly did present a slight risk. Anna might never be willing to kill her, but there was no guaranteeing what could happen in a duel between two magic wielders.

Unfortunately, it seemed like that would be her only option. Killing Anna outright would be satisfying, but if word of it spread to the public, it would be only a matter of time until her relatives in Corona learned of her actions. They might be able to believe the lies she would spread about Anna being a deep cover agent, but they would never accept that the Queen had murdered the woman she had loved. Rapunzel and the rest of the Coronan branch would (correctly) suspect that Elsa had been magically subverted in some way, and that could bring all of her plans crumbling down.

Framing another for Anna's murder would never work; Elsa's ice left behind wounds that were easily identifiable. Poison was useless thanks to the Knight's stolen magic. And no matter how she engineered Anna's death, the possibility of her actions being uncovered was too great.

The goddess would have been willing to put up with Anna until she had accumulated enough strength for the ritual, even though she would hate every second of it, but the Knight would likely be able to discern that Elsa had changed in the months ahead, and leaving her around to interrupt the goddess's plans was likewise too great a risk.

Taking Anna by surprise and attempting to restrain her while she was asleep was a possibility, but it was far from certain that any restraints she conjured in the heat of the moment would be enough to contain Anna's strength. If the Knight did indeed break free, Elsa would be facing a confused and disoriented fighter whose conscious mind had not yet realized who she was facing. That could lead to a very unpleasant outcome; Anna had proven to be willing to attack first and ask questions later.

Confronting Anna openly was her best option. She would do it in the Castle, where the presence of soldiers and civilians might just be enough to convince the Knight to surrender. In her heart, however, Elsa knew such an easy resolution was unlikely. Anna would never go down without a fight. While she wouldn't be willing to kill in the process of her escape, the Knight would be more than happy to run as fast as her legs would carry her. At least in the Castle, as opposed to the clearing by the lake, such an escape would be nigh impossible.

What she was going to tell the world and what she was going to reveal to Anna were different stories entirely, and neither would be close to the truth. The outside world would be informed that Anna was a trained spy for the Southern Isles, sent not to murder Elsa (which, given the amount of times she had saved the Queen's life, no one would ever believe) but ingratiate herself into the monarch's good graces. From there, she was to act as a loyal and devoted servant to the Queen, all the while winning her heart using a fabricated persona of an innocent, orphaned thief. That done, her objective would be to act as Elsa's wife while subtly influencing the Queen toward policies that would favor the Southern Isles.

It was a stretch, Elsa knew, but it was the most believable story she could conjure. It was an act of intrigue that no one would put past the unpopular Southern Isles royal family, and it explained why Anna had gone to such great lengths to safeguard Elsa's life. The goddess would claim to the world that some of Evangeline's agents in the Southern Isles had uncovered the scheme, and had also learned that the first kidnapping attempt on Elsa's person had been staged...allowing Anna an opportunity to gain a position within the Castle and win the Queen's trust. No would doubt the motivations of the Southern Isles; the country would have much to gain by installing one of its agents as Queen Consort of its much more powerful neighbor.

Anna would be told a different tale, one that was equally far from the truth. Telling the girl the truth would be dangerous, and in fact might inspire Anna to oppose her. Freeing the personality that had once inhabited this body would be impossible, trapped in darkness as it was, but Anna was more than foolish enough to attempt it. She knew that if Anna learned of the fate of the woman she loved, the Knight would do everything in her power to save her. Impossible as it was, Anna would go about it with a misguided yet powerful resolve.

No. The Knight would be told something else. She would be broken before their combat even began.

\

With a yawn, Anna threw open the door to the bedroom and walked inside.

"Late night?"

The Knight turned to the left. To her surprise, Elsa was still awake, calmly sitting in a chair near the window and drinking a cup of tea. Her usual ice dress was still in place, calmly reflecting the moonlight that was shining through the glass.

Anna nodded. "Yeah...sorry, I should have been back sooner. I can't believe you're still awake; you've never been a night person, and we have a big day tomorrow," she smiled. Their engagement announcement was scheduled for the afternoon, but several hours of preparation would be required beforehand.

"Can we talk for a moment?" Elsa asked.

A spike of dread embedded itself in Anna's heart. Whatever it was the Queen wanted to talk about, her tone was not promising. Was Elsa having second thoughts about their wedding after all? It didn't make sense; nothing had happened between them in the last week to suggest that circumstances had changed. Concealing her nerves as best she could, Anna walked over to the table and uneasily sat in one of the empty chairs.

Biting her lip tightly, the Knight forced herself to speak. "What's wrong?" Anna questioned.

"Nothing," Elsa replied with a smile. "Nothing at all. There's just a few things that I think you should know about before tomorrow." With an internal sigh of relief, the Knight nodded and relaxed in her chair. This doesn't sound too bad, she thought to herself.

"Anna," the Queen began, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this day. I wanted to do this sooner but there was always something in the way; I want you to understand that."

Grinning, Anna leaned forward and placed her hands over the monarch's own. "I know how you feel, and I understand completely. Getting married with a conspiracy surrounding us was never a good idea, and the thought of those thugs still being out there and trying to kill us would have put a damper on the occasion. I'm just glad we're finally getting married!"

Elsa shook her head. "I wasn't talking about our wedding, Anna."

The Knight frowned. "Then what are you talking about?" she asked, confused. "The announcement of our wedding?"

A smirk formed across Elsa's lips. "No. This is the day I've been awaiting for so long. The day I could finally tell you that I don't love you, have never loved you, and in fact hated you since the moment we met. Finally, I don't need you any longer; you've fulfilled your purpose, and now I can discard you."

Anna's eyes widened. She leaned back in her chair, retracting her hands away from Elsa's and staring at the Queen with an annoyed glare. "Elsa, that's not funny! Have you forgotten how I still deal with abandonment issues? In the future, I'd really appreciate it if you stopped reminding me that no one's ever wanted me throughout my entire life," she nearly hissed. "Hearing those words from you, the first person who ever did, feels awful, even though I know it's not true. Now come on, let's get to bed."

"Let me see your necklace," Elsa ordered.

Her annoyance rising, Anna nevertheless obeyed and unclasped the jewelry around her neck. She held it out to the Queen, who clutched the diamond pendant in her pale fingers and slipped the golden chain out of Anna's grip. Elsa brought her eyes down to study the necklace, gazing at it with idle curiosity.

"You've said that this necklace is a symbol of our relationship. It reminds you of how I rescued you from poverty and gave you a life of luxury, and prompts you to remember the time I risked everything to save you from a brutal torturer. Obviously, this mesh of gold and diamond means a lot it you. Let me show you how much it means to me."

Elsa grasped the necklace tightly, smothering it with her palm. As Anna watched, a faint blue hue was visible between the monarch's fingers...even as a soft cracking sound echoed throughout the room. Then, it was over. Elsa released her grip to reveal a cluster of microscopic shards of metal and crystal, glazed over with a layer of ice. She held out her hand above the floor, allowing the pieces of the shattered necklace to fall to the ground in an undignified heap.

"Elsa!"

The Queen ignored her, disdainfully waving her hand in Anna's direction. A sudden wetness on her fingers made the Knight look down at her palm.

Her wedding ring was melting. Falling with the water, the jewels that had been embedded in the icy band flowed to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Anna shouted. Shock, anger, and disbelief radiated throughout her body in equal measure. This simply wasn't happening. Her brain refused to accept it.

"Allow me to explain," Elsa began as Anna stared at her in silent and dumbfounded fury. "You were always a means to an end. I let you go when you tried to rob me simply because I didn't feel like spending time arresting you. I gave you those coins so you'd feel indebted to me and wouldn't repeat the story to anyone, which might have damaged my reputation. After you rescued me, I kept you around and in the Castle because I sensed that you had magic; with the conspiracy surrounding me, I saw that you would be useful."

"Elsa, stop it!" Anna cried. Never before had she heard such a scathing, hateful tone emanate from Elsa's lips, and especially not in any sentences directed at her. "Whatever you're playing at, I don't want to hear it!"

The Queen offered her a mocking smile. "But you will. After you moved into the Castle, it became obvious that you had feelings for me. I was disgusted at first; not that you were a woman, you see, but because you were a peasant, and a foolish one at that. But then I realized how I could put your hopeless infatuation to some use. I entered a relationship with you to draw out elements that would have proved problematic to my reign in the future. Durron and his ilk would never have tipped their hands so soon had I not displayed an interest in you. I rescued you from Lucrania because it gave me an opportunity to kill David, and with my powers, I was never in any true danger. And at that point, you had still been useful. That's all you ever were, Anna. A lightning rod to draw out opposition and a valuable bodyguard. But I have never cared for you in the slightest."

This. Wasn't. Happening. Anna fell to her knees, her mind finally begin to process that this might not be an elaborate joke. No! Elsa loved her! She had demonstrated that on a hundred occasions! But then...why had she just destroyed Anna's ring and necklace? Doubt crept in once again. It began to fill her lungs, freezing every drop of warmth it came into contact with via its icy touch.

"I'm a good actor, Anna. As Queen, I've been trained in subterfuge. It was easy, actually. A hopeless romantic enthralled by the fact that she no longer had to sleep in doorways and eat scraps off the street...manipulating you was effortless. A few kisses and a soft bed was all it took," Elsa said. Her lips were etched in a wide smile, one devoid of any semblance of warmth. "Not so easy was allowing my body to be soiled by your touch, but sacrifices had to be made."

Despair filling her entire being, Anna fell to her knees. "No. You love me. I saw it in your eyes! You couldn't have faked all that...it's not possible..." she said weakly.

"As I said, I'm a good actor. What do you see in my eyes now, Anna?"

Her own pupils filling with tears, Anna raised her face to look. Contempt. Elation. That's what she saw in Elsa's eyes.

Already in argument, the conflict between Anna's mind and heart escalated into open war. Her head said that Elsa's words were terrifyingly plausible, and that the Queen's only possible motivation for saying them would be that they were indeed true. Her heart outright refused to accept that the entire year...every moment spent with her beloved fiancé, had all been an ugly lie. It couldn't be true…

"You've been cursed!" Anna shouted in sudden realization.

For the first time, Elsa seemed startled. "Excuse me?" she demanded.

"I know you love me. I also know that you'd never do any of this of your own free will. Something had to have happened into you. That's why you were quiet the entire way back..." Anna continued with growing confidence. "You were cursed in Eldora." The Knight had never heard of a curse that could influence minds in such a way, but it was the only possible explanation. After everything that had happened between them, Elsa could not have faked their entire romance. Anna simply couldn't believe it.

"An entertaining notion, but I'm afraid you're wrong. This is me...the real me," she said with palpable relish. "The woman you knew this past year never existed. She never loved you. No one ever has, and no one ever will."

Anna's lips set into a determined line. "No. You're not Elsa. Fortunately, I know how to bring her back."

It was probably Anna's favorite thing about magic. Any curse could be broken by a kiss of true love. It didn't matter if it was between parent and child, lifelong friends, or passionate lovers. If both parties loved one another, lip contact would instantly remove any malicious spells or curses that had been placed on either.

She leapt off of her knees, jumping forward and placing her lips on Elsa's.

For a moment, their kiss dominated Anna's senses. Her sight, touch, and smell...they were all completely overtaken by the woman she loved.

Then a powerful and insistent shove pushed her away.

"Sorry, Anna," the Queen scowled, wiping her lips in disgust. "There's no curse here; simply the truth. It's time for you to accept that."

Anna froze, utterly paralyzed. Gods...this was really happening! No...no no no! It was if every bit of hurt and abandonment she's ever felt...inflicted by the disappearance of her parents and the spurning of several one-off lovers...had returned and been multiplied by a thousand. Her heart felt as if it was being burned by Jocasta's fiery brand.

The Knight couldn't help but fall to her knees again. It still didn't seem possible, and part of her still refused to accept it. But the woman she'd fallen in love with...the Elsa that Anna had known, never would have done such things. Never would have destroyed the symbols of their relationship and driven Anna to tearful despair simply as part of a joke.

Gods, let me die. Please! Nothing can be worse than this. The pain she now felt, inflicted by the woman she loved, made Jocasta's torture seem like a paper cut. All of her hopes and dreams, the amazing life that she'd thought she'd had…shattered forever. In that moment, Anna truly wished for death.

"So pathetic. I suppose it must hurt, realizing that you're nothing but a stupid, silly peasant girl that no one has ever cared for. Yes, my family in Corona was in on the act, by the way. Rapunzel's an even better actress than I am. You've said that part of you couldn't believe your good fortune...that it was almost like a fairy tale. Well, congratulations, you were right," Elsa said calmly. "Every doubt you've ever had, the fears you couldn't let go of, the inkling that trying to cheat fate never ends well…all fulfilled.

Even knowing that it would provide Elsa immense satisfaction, Anna couldn't resist the urge to start crying. It was pathetic, sobbing on her knees, yet she couldn't bring herself to care. Her life had gone from utter joy to total despair within minutes; her body was literally shaking in shock.

"As of this moment, you are no longer a Knight of Arendelle, or my personal attendant. Our engagement is terminated. And, of course, your pardon for the petty acts of thievery you committed has been rescinded," the Queen continued.

Each declaration would have devastated Anna, had she not already been completely consumed with pain. Hard reality was finally setting in. No one would ever care for her, and no one ever had. She would always be alone. Her life would be an unending pattern of suffering and misery until the day she died. Anna would be lucky to be buried in an unmarked grave, and no one would mourn her passing. Her only comfort would be the sweet escape of oblivion.

All of Anna's emotional output, all of her hopes and love, had been invested in Elsa. A woman who had never even existed. She had nothing and no one, and that would never change.

"I thought about letting you back out onto the streets, but I realized that I would be letting you off too easily. For forcing me to put up with you for an entire year, you're going to spend the rest of your life in the darkest cell I can find. Everyone will be told that you were a deep cover agent for the Southern Isles; Evangeline will be more than happy to assist me in that regard, and no one will question my actions. Your 'betrayal' will win me a lot of sympathy from my subjects."

Tears still flowing down her cheeks, Anna rose to her feet. "I thought you were an angel," she hissed. "A goddess, even. But you're a monster."

Elsa shrugged. "I'm the Queen of the most powerful nation on earth; I decide what's right and wrong. Now, it's time for you to go to the dungeons." She raised her palms, willing a pair of icy chains to rise from the floor and attack Anna's wrists.

Anna was devastated, broken beyond repair. But she was not docile. No matter what happened, she would not be a prisoner again. Her superhuman reflexes still functioning despite her despair, the former Knight darted to the side and avoided the chains. Empty, they fell to the floor in a brittle clang. Wiping the tears from her eyes as best she could, Anna drew her sword.

"Do you really want to fight me?"

Anna would never be willing to kill the woman in front of her, no matter how cruel she had turned out to be. But if it meant avoiding sixty years in a cold, damp prison, then she would fight.

Elsa raised her palms, shifting into a ready stance.

Taking a deep breath, Anna prepared to duel the woman she loved.


	69. Fallen: Chapter 3

Elsa almost killed her immediately.

A slight cracking sound was Anna's only warning; a massive pillar of ice materialized beneath her feet. The former Knight dived to the left, coming up in a roll as the pillar rocketed towards the ceiling...missing Anna's feet by inches.

Before she could even comprehend how close she had come to being crushed like an insect by the woman she loved, a massive blast of icy air emanated from Elsa's palms. The gust impacted Anna's entire body, hurling her towards the room's windowed wall with terrifying speed. Her sword slipped from her hands.

SLAM! Even with her superhuman durability, Anna's entire back exploded in pain. Elsa's hands continued to funnel a blast of freezing air in her direction, pinning Anna to the wall with overpowering force. Elsa's palms were still raised...undoubtedly a second away from unleashing a volley of deadly icicle spikes.

No! Using every last ounce of her incredible strength, the former Knight lifted her arm from the wall and brought her hand to the belt of knives hanging around her waist. Elsa's triumphant smirk shifted into a surprised frown as Anna's knife hurtled towards her legs, overpowering the frozen air speeding against it.

As Anna had known, the attack never had a chance to land. With a quick raise of Elsa's hand, a wall of ice sprouted between the two women; the knife lodged harmlessly into the white surface. A crackling sound spilled into the air, but the barricade held despite the force behind the throw.

But the movement had forced Elsa to drop her frozen wind. Dropping to the floor, the now freed Anna had just enough time to pick up her sword before the wall vanished in an icy mist.

Only her unequalled reflexes allowed Anna to survive the oncoming barrage of spikes. Her sword split through the air, shattering the icicles that her body was not fast enough to avoid. Knowing she had to take the initiative- and fully prepared to knock Elsa unconscious if necessary- Anna leapt forward...

Only to come face to face with three monstrous snow golems that had just materialized in front of Elsa. They were all eight feet fall, nearly reaching the ceiling of the room, and their fingers and teeth were all composed of pointed shards of glistening ice.

Anna jumped as high as she could, avoiding the first strikes of the golems. She spun in midair, slicing her sword through the closest monster's neck. The head fell to the floor, and the body it left behind calmly winked out of existence. The other two bore down on her, neither showing the slightest sign of fear, and even as Anna landed a new golem had already come into existence behind them.

It's no use. Anna could handle any one of Elsa's Creations, and the Queen could only create five of them at once. Unfortunately, as soon as one was 'killed', the monarch could replace it in an instant, with no energy required in the process. It wouldn't matter if Anna cut through them for hours...another would always be waiting in the wings.

And that was assuming that the greatest threat in the room, Elsa's unmatched powers, didn't kill her in the meantime.

Crack! Crack! Anna's sword hissed through the air, slicing through two more deadly spikes launched in her direction. Even in that moment of terror, the former Knight couldn't help but appreciate the irony. The sword she held in her hands was perhaps the only weapon on earth that could give her a fighting chance against the Queen; it was sharp enough to cut her icy projectiles to pieces, and since it was made of ice itself, Elsa couldn't try to shatter it.

Still, with the Creations defending her, Anna would never manage to strike at the monarch in this enclosed space. She darted forward, cutting at the legs of one of the golems while simultaneously hurling another knife in Elsa direction.

Distracted by the falling monster and forced to conjure up another barrier, Elsa was too late to stop Anna from diving through the window.

Her magically enhanced skin was tough enough to avoid being injured by the glass. She fell, her arms frantically scrambling for a hold on the brick wall.

Got it! Her fingers grabbed onto a large brink, allowing Anna to swing her body in towards the wall. Below her, the courtyard that dominated the center of the Castle sat waiting, completely empty of guards at this time of night. Few worried about an attack on the Castle from within.

She scrambled down half the wall, straining her strength and climbing abilities to their utmost, before letting go and falling down the last ten meters. Oof! Save for a dull ache that swept through her knees upon impact, Anna was uninjured. She glanced upward-

Elsa was already following her, descending comfortably as twin blasts of freezing air from her palms slowed her fall. Calmly, the Queen rotated her wrist.

And then, several massive snowballs appeared in midair…all of them zeroing in on Anna's position!

Unlike the ice spikes she had previously avoided, these would be impossible to block. Avoiding them was her only option. She rolled to the right, but even all her speed wasn't enough. A large, hard ball of snow smashed into her arm as she rolled.

"Aagh!" Anna let out a deafening scream. She came back up to her feet, wobbling and clutching her arm. It had only been a glancing blow, but the crack she felt in her limb implied that the bone was dangerously close to being broken. Even as she struggled to block out the pain, Elsa was reaching the ground.

The Queen landed gently, but a vicious circle of ice immediately radiated from her position. Anna jumped just in time, leaping over the jagged ring as it exploded outwards. Still in the air, she raised her sword with her good arm and brought it down towards Elsa's hand.

CLANG! An icy soldier that materialized out of nowhere blocked her blow. One handed as her attack had been, its sword had not been shattered by her strike.

Acting purely on instinct, Anna whirled around and caught two swords with a sweep of her blade. Four additional Creations had appeared behind her. She deflected three more cuts, dodged a swift blow from the soldier now at her back, then swung her sword in a wide arc.

Elsa's Creations were powerful, but they could never hope to match Anna's speed. The four soldiers were decapitated instantly by her latest attack; their bodies faded away almost immediately. Spinning around yet again, Anna lashed out with her right foot, kicking out at the remaining icy soldier. His body flew through the air, hurtling towards the monarch's slime frame.

A slanted wall of ice sprouted up from the ground, deflecting the Creation's flight off to the side. Then another spike of ice was flying at Anna's chest! She raised her sword to block it...too slow. Instead of smashing against the edge of her blade, the projectile shattered against the pommel of her weapon.

Glistening shards of ice exploded in all directions. Then...pain! Anna let out another cry of agony as dozens of the tiny splinters embedded themselves within her hands. Blood immediately began flowing from the stinging wounds, threatening to tarnish her glistening blade.

WHAM! A compressed blast of air hit her chest, sending her flying twenty feet through the deserted courtyard. She landed hard in the snow; another spasm of pain from her limb confirmed that her left arm was now broken.

Icy chains were sprouting up all around her! Hurling her body to the side, Anna struck out with her good arm even as she rolled, cutting through the restraints before they could strike her limbs. She rose to her feet, on guard for the next attack yet panting heavily. Her breath came out of her body in bursts of white fog.

Elsa was walking towards her, looking at Anna as if she was a particularly interesting specimen of insect.

"You all but died while facing Rohan; I sent him running in less than a minute. You fell to forty of David's soldiers; I defeated hundreds without suffering a scratch. My powers can crush kingdoms with a thought…scatter armies with a gesture. What is your power, Anna? A bit of enhancement to a mortal's unimpressive physique...that is all. Even now, you only live because I still allow it," she noted.

Gritting her teeth, desperate to ignore the pain, Anna did her best to respond. "You're asking me to surrender? I will! Just please...let me go. Let me go and you'll never have to deal with me again!" she begged, tears now staining her cheeks.

The Queen shook her head. "I will not let you go, and I am not asking for your surrender. Why would I do such a thing? What have I to fear from a scared little girl with a broken arm and a shattered heart?"

"This!" Anna's left hand went for her belt, grasping for a knife and hurling it at the Queen's legs. Elsa's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but an ice wall came up just the same, easily blocking the throw. Her wounded arm throbbing from the effort, Anna turned to run-

Only to be facing the legs of a massive ice golem...a fifteen foot tall Creation. Its fist struck down at her face, missing by inches as Anna ducked to the left. She leapt into the air on her uninjured legs, hopped onto its chest, and then jumped another five feet higher. Her sword sliced through its neck as easily as the others. Anna fell to the ground; the Creation disappeared before her legs hit the snow.

The wind made her turn around.

Elsa was standing twenty feet above the courtyard. A massive cyclone of air was rotating beneath her feet, crackling with blue energy. Her feet just touched the top of the storm...as if the Queen was standing at the peak of a miniature hurricane.

Then the entire courtyard was covered by a raging blizzard. Too weak to move in time, Anna could only raise her hands to protect her face as wind and snow battered her body. She couldn't even see Elsa any longer; her view of the sky had been replaced by the snowstorm that now consumed the center of the Arendelian Royal Palace.

The air itself pressed against her, trying to bring the former Knight to her ground. The snow was growing bigger. Pellets the size of oranges began to pelt her from all directions. SMACK! Anna let out a cry of pain as one slipped past her arms and slammed into her cheek.

Driven to her knees, the former Knight had little time to react as the ground beneath her feet was instantly transformed into a rink of slippery ice. Anna's limbs flailed wildly, desperately trying to maintain her balance.

SLAM! A final blast of compressed air knocked the wind out of her lungs and sent her hurtling into the air. Utterly disoriented, Anna barely registered her body hitting the hard ice that had consumed the courtyard's snow-covered grass. Her momentum sent her careening across the slippery surface, even as compressed bullets of snow continued to assail her body.

The last sound she heard was an ugly crack as her head hit the Castle Wall.

\

Elsa descended to the ground calmly, allowing the snowstorm and accompanying ice to wink of out existence.

Anna was lying prone beside the Castle's wall, completely motionless. Still, even from this distance, the Goddess knew that the girl wasn't dead. It would take more than a hard fall to kill one who bore the magic of a divine consort, even if those powers were not at full strength.

She approached wearily, but the former Knight did not move a muscle. Raising her palms, Elsa allowed several sets of icy chains to ensnare the girl. Dozens of magical links bound her arms, legs, and chest to the ground; Elsa was not one to take chances.

Now assured, she moved to inspect the defeated woman. Anna still breathed, but the snow around her head was being blotted with blood. It looked as if her skull had been cracked...

A spasm of pain in her head distracted the Goddess. Gritting her teeth, Elsa growled in irritation. She was not a woman accustomed to pain, even though she had often taken pleasure in inflicting agony upon others.

I must have used too much power. Are my powers, in their current state, weaker than I believed? Such a thing had never happened to the Goddess before, no matter how much power she had drawn upon.

Her return to full strength could not come soon enough.

"Still," she mused, "It was enough to stop you." Elsa stepped forward, placing an icy heel on Anna's cheek. "Tonight, you faced but a shadow of a shadow. If the most powerful magic this world has to offer could not manage to scratch me; how do you think the mortal nations will fare when I am a thousand times stronger?"

Anna had put up a spirited fight, but her efforts had been doomed from the start. Her abilities would have made her a more than worthy member of Elsa's lieutenants...if they had been passed down through blood rather than stolen from the Goddess herself. And no woman as soft, simple, and weak as Anna would ever deserve a place in her court.

Perhaps she should just kill the girl now. ...But no, that would invite too much suspicion from the world at large. Chained by the strongest metals at Arendelle's disposal and watched by her loyal minions, Anna would never have a hope of escape from her prison cell. There she would remain for the duration of her life, denied the sweet release of the Realm Beyond.

\

Several Months Earlier…

Anna fought to quell the massive swarm butterflies flittering around her stomach. It was a feeling she had become accustomed to. A combination of elation and nervousness whenever she was due to enter the Queen's presence.

The former thief had long since realized that the monarch would never hurt her, no matter how many breaches of etiquette she accidentally committed. Still, Anna had somehow won favor with this amazing woman, and she was terrified that a misstep on her part could ruin everything.

For the first time in her life someone seemed to think Anna was worth something. Someone who was a Queen. Someone who had magic.

Someone Anna had a massive crush on.

"Enter," a voice called from within the study. Swallowing, Anna took a deep breath before walking past the guard on duty and entering what was now become a familiar room. She allowed herself a quick glance at the woman sitting behind the desk before bowing deeply.

"Your Majesty," she greeted respectfully. "Any news from Princess Rapunzel?"

Elsa smiled, a telltale indicator that Anna had once again violated royal decorum in one way or another…and that the Queen didn't care. "Not yet. I'm sure their ship will arrive any day now. In the meantime, however, I received an interesting report from the head jailer this morning."

Anna paled. Shit. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I didn't know it was forbidden. He seemed to think I was trying to sneak in or something but I promise I wasn't-  
The monarch's hand rose calmly, cutting off the rambling before it could truly begin.

"Calm down, Anna," Elsa replied gently as she stood from her chair. "You're the last person in the Castle I'd suspect of treachery. I'm not angry, just curious as to why you felt compelled to take an unsanctioned tour of the Castle Dungeons."

Blushing furiously, the former thief looked down at her feet. "I-I don't know. I like to explore, I guess, and I've already seen the rest of the Castle in the last month. It seemed like it would be interesting- I didn't see that much of it when I was locked up down there- and I had no idea that the dungeons were off limits. Of course, I probably should have-"

"Probably," Elsa agreed with a slight smirk. "If you want, I'll tell the guards to give you access. Are you sure, though? I can't imagine it was pleasant the last time you were there; why would you want to visit those memories?"

Anna bit her lip, knowing that the Queen still felt guilty for the time that she had spent down there. "It wasn't that bad, really. I mean; they didn't beat me or anything like that."

"Your cell was freezing, they barely fed you, and your bed was a brick wall," Elsa noted with a frown.

The former thief shrugged. "It's not as if cold, hunger, and having no bed to sleep on are anything new to me, Your Majesty," she replied without thinking.

Elsa nodded sadly, allowing her eyes to drop to the floor.

"I'm sorry!" Anna added immediately. "I shouldn't have said that. You've been so great to me; I have no right to rub my shitty past in your face." Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"It's fine," Elsa replied, diplomatically steering clear of the uncomfortable subject. "Now, you should be off," she smiled again. "We're on for checkers in a few hours, as I hope you recall, and if you're late to an appointment with your Queen because you're roaming through the dungeons…"

"You'll send me back to the dungeons?" Anna couldn't help but add with a smirk of her own.

The monarch offered her a small shrug. "I was going to say that I would force you to play chess instead, but you never know."

\

Present Day…

The first thing she noticed was the massive migraine that was tearing through her skull.

For a few breaths, Anna believed that the last few hours had all been a bad dream. She was lying in her bed with Elsa, waking up on the day when the two of them would announce their marriage to the world. Oh, how she had looked forward to this day…

Then Anna's eyes took in the cold stone walls surrounding her, and the multiple sets of heavy manacles that clasped her arms and legs, and the truth came rushing back to her.

Elsa had never cared for her. She had shattered Anna's heart as easily as she had broken her prized necklace. Everything…her entire life for the past year...it had all been a lie.

She was alone for the moment, and that gave the former Knight time to think. Part of her still couldn't accept that this was real. Elsa was…Elsa! The woman who had gladly taken her in, fed her, clothed her, and protected her. She had journeyed halfway across the world to rescue Anna from a demented King and a vile tormenter. Their love had felt a hundred times as strong as any attachment Anna had ever felt.

Ignoring the pain that lurked throughout her body as best she could, Anna did her utmost to think of an alternative explanation. Elsa could not have betrayed her. It simply wasn't possible. No woman could ever be such a good actor, Queen or not.

But then, what? Grand Pabbie had been very clear; any curse could be broken through true love's kiss. Anna's attempt to do so had not produced the slightest change in the Queen. If Elsa was acting of her own free will, then…what motivation could she have for brutally attacking the woman she'd claimed to love?

She sat in her cell, weighed down by chains too heavy even for her to break, for hours. Anna's mind grasped at every straw it could find, desperate to find even the hint of a reason for Elsa's actions. And…she couldn't. Shattering Anna's necklace and saying hateful words was one thing. But their duel had been another. Although the Queen apparently had intended keeping her alive, there had been several moments during that battle where Anna could easily have been killed if something went wrong.

The Elsa that Anna knew would never have risked her life in such a manner. Never. That left only one possible explanation.

Anna was a stupid, desperate peasant girl who had been played for a complete fool. The woman she'd loved and all but died for…she was nothing but an illusion created for the Queen's selfish ends.

At that final realization, Anna could almost physically feel her heart splitting in two. Accepting Elsa's true nature hurt far worse than anything Jocasta could ever have dreamt of. A final, pained sob swept through Anna's throat.

Sniveling, she raised her hands to wipe the tears off her cheeks.

…Only she couldn't. The chains were far too heavy.

"What the hell?" she hissed. Anna had tested these manacles in the last few hours. They were too strong to break, but not so heavy that she couldn't lift her arms off the floor.

Anna strained with all her might, but her manacles now refused to move an inch. Her arms simply didn't have the strength. And when she tested her legs, the same was true for them as well.

Not an inch.

How? How had Elsa done this? Neither of them had ever fully understood Anna's abilities, and even if Elsa did indeed control them, why wouldn't she have done this earlier? But, regardless of how it had happened, the conclusion was immutable.

My powers are gone.

\

Click. Click. Click.

Anna's head shot up like a cannon. Standing above her was a large form. Even in the darkness of the cell, she could see that her assailant was masked.

Then a weight dropped from her right arm, and suddenly it could move again. Her 'guest' now moved to her left arm, key in hand, and began to unchain the manacles one by one.

He must be bringing me to Elsa.

She said nothing, gritting her teeth and waiting for him to release her legs. Then, as soon as the last chain had been unlocked, Anna jumped up and punched at his concealed face.

He caught her fist easily, to the surprise of both of them.

"Thought you were stronger than that, " he muttered. The voice was muffled, but it was unmistakably male. "That might make things more difficult." With a shove, he released her arm and threw her lightly into the back wall.

The impact wasn't hard, but it hurt. Suddenly, her body felt as durable as cardboard.

"I redirected the patrols from this area as best as I could, but there will still be at least one man in your way. No killing. Do you understand?" he said forcefully.

His hand reached down into a scabbard at his belt, and when it rose it was holding a familiar weapon.

My sword! There was no mistaking that Crocus guard nor the ice-blade. Then, to her shock, he held it out to her.

"Who…who are you?" Anna gasped as she took the weapon. As soon as it entered her grip, the former Knight nearly let out a cry of surprise as the blade fell towards the floor. It's so heavy…

"I don't intend on throwing away my life for you," he said gruffly. "I owe a debt, nothing more. Wait five minutes, and then leave the cell. I trust you know the way out."

And with Anna staring at him in shock, the man walked out the door.


	70. Fallen: Chapter 4

Anna did as instructed, waiting in her cell until at least five minutes had passed. Even if she hadn't been told to remain for that amount of time, she might have done so anyway. Her sword felt far too heavy in her hands; if she met opposition, she'd have to grow somewhat used to her new level of strength. The former Knight swung her sword around as best she could in this cramped space, trying to get a feel for it.

The loss of her magic wasn't her only disadvantage. Anna's duel with Elsa had given her a broken left arm, and her skull was still matted with drying blood. Shards of ice had left a dozen small cuts in her wrists, many of which were sealed over only by a thin red line.

No matter what, I can't face her again. She beat me before...now it would be effortless.

At last, she judged that five minutes had clearly passed. Fingers trembling with anticipation, she pressed her hand against the stone door and slowly swung it outward. The more was revealed of the dungeon beyond, the faster Anna's heart raced. What if this was all a ruse...another sick game that Elsa was playing on her?

The first thing she saw helped to dispel that notion. Two people, one man and one women, were slumped against the wall outside her cell, both unconscious. Whoever her rescuer was, he certainly had some skill.

Strange. Both defeated lookouts were wearing the uniform of Arendelle's Royal Guards, but Anna recognized neither of them. After a year spent in this Castle, the former Knight had believed herself capable of recognizing every man who guarded it on sight.

It didn't matter now. No matter what happened, Anna would not allow herself to be a prisoner in this dungeon for another minute. Any life spent here, subject to Elsa's whims, was not worth living. If she was discovered and certain to be captured, Anna would impale herself on this very blade before surrendering.

Ha! Anna nearly laughed at herself as she began to creep down the tunnel. As if her life would ever be worth living, in the dungeon or outside of it. What awaited her if she escaped? A life on the run, with no money and no one to turn to. The trolls might be willing to let her live among them in relative comfort, but she wouldn't risk bringing the Queen's wrath down upon them.

Then an idea struck her. It was a terrible, appalling idea, but it was the only chance she might ever have for a life beyond the nightmare her world had become.

First things first. The dungeon's hallways were nearly pitch black, the only illumination coming from moonlight that shined through the small windows etched out of stone. That darkness was both her enemy and her greatest ally. It helped keep her hidden, but one careless trip on a stone and a dozen guards would be on her in seconds. Anna wouldn't survive an open confrontation.

She moved as quietly as possible, listening for any sign of the periodic guard patrols. Her destination was a secluded pathway that was not too far from her cell. The Castle dungeons stretched underground, having been carved out of the dirt long before the Castle had first been built. One seemingly dead-end tunnel contained a hatch that led to the grounds above. In more turbulent times, it had been intended as a secret passage out of the Palace if an enemy army ever took the Castle. After she'd explored the dungeons several months ago and found a seemingly useless pathway, the Queen had explained to her about the secret hatch. Most of the guards didn't even know about it.

Not your brightest move, Elsa.

Footsteps down the hall! Stifling a gasp, Anna took a few quick steps backward and scurried into a side corridor. As the footsteps grew ever closer, accompanied by a yellow glow that could only be a lamp, Anna flattened herself into the wall and prayed that the darkness would protect her.

Her heart was beating so quickly that she was certain that he would hear it.

If the guard had looked down, he would have spotted her. But he was tired, bored, and confident that the cells in this dungeon were impenetrable. The warm yellow glow of his lamp washed over Anna, but with his vision firmly planted straight ahead, the former Knight escaped his gaze.

We should probably hire some new guards.

The thought hit her like a gut punch. There was no we any longer. This Castle, the large comfortable building that she had long since embraced as her home, was now a hostile environment. She wasn't part of this household. The guards here weren't her guards...they were enemies.

Anna waited there for several minutes, not willing to leave until long after the glow of the lamp disappeared from view. Even then, she was almost too afraid to move. She'd suffered so much pain already, more than anyone on earth had any right to experience. What was the point in getting up if she would only be hurt yet again?

Because getting caught would be even worse.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and rose to her feet. Slipping out of the side corridor, Anna started to creep down the larger hallway. She was almost there. Another minute and she'd be at the secret hatch. Seeing no signs of guards, the former Knight turned down the next hallway...

Anna froze. Sitting on a bench was a single guard, his unlit lamp placed on the ground beside him. He was obviously slacking off, a man content to sit and wait quietly until his shift was over. Unfortunately, he was still awake. And a sword was in his hands!

For a moment, the two of them stared at one another silently. Her clothes, the weapon in her hands...it was all too obvious that she was an escaped prisoner.

Then he was launching himself at her, his sword angled for a killing blow. Anna raised her own weapon just in time, intercepting the attack with a rapid parry. Her blade, held only in her right arm, was battered aside easily.

Anna ducked, avoiding a swipe at her head, then brought her arm up in a cleaving slash that her opponent just barely sidestepped. Her icy blade cut into the dungeon wall, sending a flurry of sparks into the air.

She had to end this fight quickly. It would only take a few moments for the panicked guard to regain his wits and realize that all he needed to do was call for help. Even now, Anna could see his breathing begin to steady.

Training with a sword had become Anna's favorite hobby. She had practiced for at least an hour every day, to ensure that no harm came to her Queen. Although her strength and speed were gone, Anna's skill and natural talent remained. The former Knight had been smart enough to realize that if her magical abilities enabled her to defeat a dozen men, those abilities coupled with training would allow her to triumph over twice that number.

Raising her blade in a diagonal angle, Anna blocked his next attack. Rather than oppose the resulting momentum, she embraced it...using it to drive the pommel of her sword forward.

The hilt slammed into her opponent's forehead, knocking him backwards into the stonewall. As Anna backed up, he slumped to the ground.

"You'll wake up," she mumbled to herself. He was, after all, just a young man doing his job (albeit doing it poorly.) Lowing her weapon, Anna braced herself for the sound of approaching reinforcements, but none came.

"Time to go."

\

BANG! BANG!

Kristoff's eyes shot open. Having just fallen asleep after a hard day's work, the last thing he wanted was to answer his front door. BANG! BANG! Groaning loudly in frustration, the ice-harvester forced himself out of bed and made his way down the steps. "Coming!" he growled grumpily.

He opened his door.

Given how loud and insistent the knocks had been, he was not terribly surprised that Anna was his late-night visitor. What did surprise him, however, was the dried blood staining her clothes, the numerous tiny cuts in her wrists, and the injured arm that was hanging limply at her side.

"I'm so so sorry for this, Kristoff," Anna babbled breathlessly. "But I have no one else to turn to. You have to get me out of here! Now, before she realizes I'm gone! Oh, gods, this is going to be the first place she checks!"

Fear began to clutch at his heart. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded. "Did someone attack the Castle? Did...is Elsa in danger?"

"Elsa is the one who did this!" Anna hissed. "Everything...it was all just a lie. She was using me since the beginning! I didn't believe her, but then she tried to fucking arrest me! She wants to punish me just for forcing her to put up with me! She's...she's a monster, Kristoff. We have to leave! Now!"

Kristoff had seen Anna upset, but never had the Knight been nearly as distressed as what he saw now. The night she had learned of Drell's betrayal had been terrible, but this...she looked so scared, angry, and saddened that it seemed as if a light breeze would be enough to shatter her.

His mind rapidly examined the facts before him. Kristoff had never been overly fond of royalty, but his dealings with Elsa had never rubbed him the wrong way, and Anna had clearly been madly in love with her. Yet he hadn't spent enough time with the Queen to truly know her, and given Anna's situation...homeless and starved of affection...it was easy to see how a malicious person could have fooled her.

And with Anna's powers, who else possessed the ability to injure her so? What else could make her as panicked as he saw her now?

At the moment, details didn't matter. If Elsa truly was evil and intent on making Anna suffer, then the former Knight was correct...this would be the first place she would look. They might only have minutes.

He could abandon Anna to her fate. But he never would. She had risked almost certain death to save him from the conspirators; only a monster would now leave her to die. Even then, Kristoff still didn't have a choice. The ice-harvester was still new to the idea of friendship, but he knew that it didn't entail leaving your friends to suffer at the hands of an insane Queen.

Even if you were exhausted and would give anything for a good night's sleep.

\

"You mean to tell me," Elsa said slowly, "That two capable users of magic were overpowered by a single Ungifted and a blade of metal?"

Will, a loyal member of the Faithful and one of the two assigned to guard Anna the previous night, lowered his head in shame. "Forgive me, Your Worship. We were taken by surprise. I...we failed you and will accept any punishment you deem fitting."

The Queen glared at them angrily. Will was capable of unleashing small bolts of electricity from his hands, a useful ability so long as you were smart enough to not be taken unawares. Enobaria, his partner, could manipulate sizable quantities of liquid and carried a water skin on her person at all times. Both were too powerful to face the ultimate punishment, but Elsa would see them pay for their mistake.

It had not been until early morning that Anna's escape had been discovered. Immediately, the monarch had raced to Kristoff's home only to find both of them long gone. Then, she was faced with a frustrating decision.

Their destination was obvious. They had nowhere else to go but the trolls, and only they might be able to fully heal Anna's injuries within a short amount of time. It was possible that Elsa could intercept Kristoff's sleigh during their journey, but there was more than one route to the trolls. Even Anna and Kristoff wouldn't be foolish enough to take the main road.

She could cut them off immediately, going to the trolls' home and exterminating them then and there. But the trolls, pitiful monstrosities that they were, could prove a nuisance to her. They were a pathetic race, created as an experiment by some of her fellow gods and gifted with non-combat magic. Still, Elsa was not aware of the precise range of their abilities, and if some of them escaped her assault, they could well prove dangerous to her plans. She could likely overcome them regardless, but it was not a certainty. And Pabbie wouldn't be stupid enough to battle her openly.

It would be better to leave that hornet's nest alone until her full powers returned. Then, she could wipe them out at her leisure.

Elsa wasn't fond of allowing Anna to walk free. She had apparently lost her powers, yes, but the girl was still a loose end. The Queen would have preferred to eliminate that threat completely, but now that the former Knight had come to terms with the 'fact' that her love had all been a lie, it was all but impossible that she would ever wield magic again.

There was always a slim chance, of course. Overall, however, it would be smarter to wait until her divinity returned to before provoking the wrath of the trolls. Besides, Elsa could guess what Anna's next move would be. And if she was correct, the girl would be well out of the way until Elsa's powers returned. She'd put up wanted posters and hope for the best, but she doubted that Anna would remain in Arendelle.

Fine. I'll allow her to suffer, ignorant and alone, until that day comes. Enjoy your return to the streets, dearest Anna.

\

"Pabbie, it's...I'm certain. She attacked me. She nearly killed me. Part of me still can't-" she stopped to stifle a sob.

Wincing, Kristoff decided to step in. "It's not a curse. I've seen it a dozen times...people who've come to you for help being cured by a kiss from their loved ones. Anna kissed her. Even then, we've never heard of magic that can control someone's mind or allow them to be possessed."

The troll eyed them sadly. He'd been extremely skeptical of Anna's story, having met Elsa and seen her supposed concern for the Knight first hand. Yet the only conclusion they could come to was that the Queen's betrayal had been genuine. Pabbie had no record of any magic capable of turning someone against those they love, and such a spell would certainly fall under the category of a curse.

"Legend claims that the gods imbued such a convenient condition within the fabric of magic, so that any magical malady placed on human or god could easily be cured by their loved ones," Pabbie said slowly. "I suppose it was a clever idea. Never, neither in my own experience or in the writings of my predecessors, have I ever found mention of True Love's Kiss failing to act as a cure."

Anna just stared at the ground. The last spark of hope in her eyes blinked out of existence.

Seeing that look on her face made Kristoff more than willing to wring his hands around Elsa's neck if given the opportunity. Never had he seen someone simply so...broken. Anna had barely said a word during their entire journey here. She hadn't slept. He'd practically had to force food down her throat to get her to eat.

This wasn't simply a 'bad break-up'. Anna's entire being had revolved around her relationship with Elsa. In a single day, Anna had lost her home, her job, and nearly all of her friendships. The only person who had ever loved her had revealed herself to be nothing more than an elaborate and vicious ruse. Thanks to Elsa, Anna had gained everything she'd ever wanted. And then, in an instant, all of it had been taken away forever.

Kristoff had seen Anna gain confidence and self-respect as she'd spent more time living with Elsa. Now, that all been wiped away. Anna had lost what made her Anna. All that remained was an empty and broken shell. The trolls had healed Anna's body, but there was little they could do for her mind.

At least, that was what he believed.

"I want to forget," Anna said suddenly.

Kristoff frowned. "Forget what?" he asked. "Taking away your memories of the last few days won't solve anything. You'll wake up back here, demand to see Elsa, and then have to go through all of this again. I'm sorry, but...I don't think that will work."

The former Knight shook her head fiercely. "I'm not talking about the last few days. I want to forget this entire fucking year! I don't want to remember anything about living in the Castle, or being a Knight, Elsa...I just want it all to go away."

For a moment, there was utter silence. Then Kristoff watched as Pabbieslowly walked out of his seat and gently placed his hands on Anna's shoulders. "Dear child. I understand your pain, but to remove so much memory from your mind...all the happiness you experienced. There's no telling what that would do to your personality."

"Anna," Kristoff added firmly, "That wouldn't work anyway. You can't wake up surrounded by rock trolls and be told you're going to be living with them and not have questions. I know you, Anna. You'll never stop searching for the truth."

"I'm not going to be living here," she replied glumly.

What? For their entire journey here, he'd assumed that remaining with the trolls was Anna's plan. "But you have nowhere else to go!" he protested. "You're not safe in Arendelle-"

"I'm not safe here, either," Anna shot back. "Elsa wants to punish me. Eventually, she'll look here. Even if I didn't want to lose my memories, I couldn't remain here. My presence is too much of a risk. I have to go somewhere that she'll never find me. If she found me with you-"

Kristoff stared at her.

"Elsa's family in Corona...they were in on her act. I wouldn't be safe there anyway, even if they wanted to help me. I have to disappear. I can't stay in Arendelle, and I can't stay here."

"Anna," Pabbie intoned gently, "That doesn't mean you have to lose your memories. It is not worth the risk-"

"No. It is. It's the only way I'll be able to go on. I can't go back to a life of poverty and isolation if I remember what...what a good life was like," the former Knight noted grimly.

"Poverty?" Kristoff demanded incredulously. "You can't stay here; I understand that. But I'll give you the rest of my money. I can stay here; I don't need it. With all that I have left, you could live in relative comfort for a long time."

Anna smiled slightly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That's not going to work. Elsa probably has men already watching your shop. If you try to bring that money back to me, we'll both end up dead. And besides, I can't stay in Arendelle. I'd have to go to a currency exchange, and there I'd almost certainly be caught. I need to go straight to another country, probably the Southern Isles. Elsa destroyed my necklace, so she can't use that to find me. And Pabbie's spell still protects me from any locator spells not created by him."

The ice harvester couldn't believe his ears. Anna seemed determined to go back to a life of homelessness and thievery. It was unthinkable.

"Kristoff..." she placed a hand on his arm, "I appreciate your help. Really, I do. But it has to be this way; we both know that. I...I have to go back to where I belong. It's the only way you and the trolls will be safe. And the only way I can move on from this without ki-"

Killing myself. "Anna, no!"

She ignored him, turning back to Pabbie. "You know I'm right. The most important thing is for your people to be safe. It's too dangerous for Kristoff to go back to his business, but as long as I'm not around, Elsa probably won't attack you. She'd have no reason. Send Kristoff back to the city discreetly, have him keep an eye on things and see if she's planning an attack, but I doubt it. And if she did...I wouldn't be any help to you."

"It's possible I could discover a way to restore your powers, Anna," Pabbie offered, though his tone was doubtful.

Anna shook her head. "They'd just make it easier for Elsa to find me. Please, Pabbie. You have to do this."

"And then what?" Kristoff questioned angrily. "He takes away your memories, and you wake up in a tavern somewhere? You'll have no idea where you are, end up finding out that a year has somehow passed without you realizing it, and be stuck in the middle of Arendelle. Elsa might find you before the updated wanted posters force you to leave! Even then, you'll be reading posters that picture your face perfectly and describe you as former consort of the Queen. How can that possibly end well?"

A sigh from Pabbie redirected his attention. "It will not be so difficult, Kristoff," he said reluctantly. "I can't create memories, but I can alter them slightly. You can place Anna near the border with the Southern Isles. My magic can place the suggestion within her mind that she decided it was too dangerous for her to remain in Arendelle and best to enter another country and continue her thefts there."

"I was near Hammerfest before I met Elsa; that's close to the Isles," Anna noted. "And it's not as if I was ever looking at a calendar while sneaking into houses. It's been almost exactly a year since I met Elsa. Odds are, when I wake up, I won't even notice that I skipped one. I might be surprised that I'm wearing different clothes and have an ugly scar on my cheek, but I'll chalk it off to a drunken episode the night before. I'll leave my sword here; I'll need to take a small knife if you have one lying around."

"And in the Southern Isles, it's unlikely you would hear the tale of Queen Elsa's traitorous consort," Pabbie mused. "And even if you did, it would be almost impossible for you to..."

"You're actually agreeing to this?" Kristoff demanded.

"I'm simply being honest about the choice that Anna is presented with. It's true that this path could allow her to escape her previous life. But-" he turned again to Anna, "Losing all of those memories could have a terrible effect on your mental state. With all those happy memories erased, it's very likely that you will become a bitter, selfish woman. And once you drink the potion, nothing will be able to reverse the effects. It creates a wound that cannot be mended. And because you will drink it willingly, it will not be considered a curse."

Anna nodded, closing her eyes. A single tear glistened down her cheek. "I know. But I have to keep you safe. If I forget everything, I'll at least have a slight chance of one day having a good life again. It'll be as if this year never happened. Maybe I don't get a happy ending...I don't think I was ever meant to have one. But this way, at least I won't be taking all of you down with me."

\

It took Pabbie an hour to make the potion. Kristoff kept begging her to reconsider, to find another way, but Anna ignored his pleas. She truly did appreciate his concern, but nothing he said could make any difference. The former Knight had thought about his the entire ride here, over two days, and there was no other solution. The only way for her life to go on...and for the trolls and Kristoff to remain safe...was to erase the previous year from her life.

Then Pabbie was holding it out to her...a small bottle of purple liquid. One sip and she would fall unconscious, only to wake up with the last twelve months erased from her mind forever. Carefully, she took the bottle from his hand and held it in her fingers.

For a moment, she hesitated. All of her happy moments...spending time with Elsa, talking with Rapunzel, becoming a Knight...was she really ready to forget them all? Then she remembered that each had been a lie, and every shred of happiness in her heart was replaced with a stake of despair. Yes, she was ready. Nothing could be worse than this.

She brought the bottle to her lips and drank.

\

Elsa couldn't move.

She could see everything, hear everything, but she couldn't do a damn thing. The very second that the Goddess had entered her body, Elsa had lost all control. She was not privy to the thoughts of the being that now controlled her limbs, but she was there to witness every excruciating second.

Trapped in this limbo, Elsa had done nothing but watch as the person she loved most in this world was fed the most vicious lies imaginable...right before being beaten within an inch of her life. She'd wanted to scream...cry out that it was all a lie; she loved Anna powerfully and unconditionally! But no matter how hard she strained, the Goddess's control over her physical form remained absolute.

There had only been a single moment...a brief ray of hope. When her rage and desperation had reached their peak, just for an instant... But nothing had come of it, and though she continued to struggle, Elsa remained a passenger inside her own body...a silent and ineffectual companion to the goddess who planned on committing unspeakable atrocities.

Anna had escaped, and it was to Elsa's immense satisfaction that the goddess was livid. Yet what would happen next seemed to placate her. The goddess had conferred with Evangeline; both agreed that Anna would go to the trolls and relinquish her memories. Going after her was not worth the risk of antagonizing the trolls. Without her powers and bereft of allies, Anna would be powerless to oppose the goddess.

They were wrong.

If she'd been capable of it, Elsa would have been brought to tears by the knowledge that Anna was going to return to the miserable life the Queen had gladly saved her from. But at least this way, she'd remain safe for a time. The attention of the goddess would turn to the ritual, leaving Anna and the trolls alive. When the right opportunity presented itself...

The goddess did not know everything, and neither did Grand Pabbie. Elsa suspected that an antidote to the trolls' magic was hidden in plain sight. As long as Anna survived, there was a chance...however slim...that her memories would return.

Thanks to the prophecy, the goddess and her Faithful were confident that the future had already been written. In a year's time, with the ritual ready, the world would fall to their whims without the slightest opposition. But Elsa wasn't ready to give in just yet. She might have been taken off the playing field, but Anna was still out there. Her magic and memories were dormant...that didn't mean they were gone.

\

Sunlight streamed through the window of the inn's room, forcing Anna out of her deep sleep. Immediately, she was hit by a profound sense of loss. The thief couldn't remember what she had been dreaming, but it must have been something good.

Her memories of the previous night were hazy. Dammit. I must have gotten drunk again. It's not like I have the coins to spare! Throwing the covers off herself, she looked down at her body in surprise. Where did I get these clothes?! And why do I feel so full? Gods, it must have been a wild night.

Anna's panic mounted. Had she spent all of the money gained from her most recent 'acquisition'? The wanted posters in Arendelle had become too accurate. She needed to get to the Southern Isles soon; it wouldn't be safe to commit another robbery in Arendelle. Gingerly she reached a hand into her pockets...

Metal! Her fingers traced the outlines of several coins. Hardly daring to believe it, Anna plucked them out of her pocket and held them as if they were a newborn child. Ten gold pieces! "Where the hell did these come from?!" she thought aloud. "Maybe I can even eat some breakfast today before setting out." Forced to ration her coins carefully, Anna always limited herself to two meals a day. With this treasure trove, however, a splurge on breakfast wouldn't be out of the question.

\

Thirty minutes later, Anna was walking out of the tavern with a half eaten loaf of bread in her hand.

"Spare a coin, milady?"

The thief turned around, instinctively responding to the honorific. Standing before her was a young girl who looked to be about ten of age, dressed in a once-fine garment that was nearly worn out beyond repair.

Anna's heart panged. Usually, she was the one asking for charity. With the food in her hand and the clothes she was wearing (so fine that Anna wouldn't have been surprised to discover that she'd had a drunken fling with a nobleman last night,) this was perhaps the first time in her life that someone thought she was rich.

I'll only need one gold piece to make it to the border. "Of course. Here, you can have these." With a smile, she held out nearly her entire stash of gold to the poor girl.

The child's eyes grew as big as saucers as she reverently accepted the coins. "Nine pieces! Thank you ever so much, Miss! I haven't seen this much money since my da-" she stopped suddenly. The happy glow around her quickly faded.

Dad passed away. Gods…she must be homeless. By the looks of her, it happened pretty recently. She probably doesn't know about the orphanages.

"Use the money to travel to Trondheim. It's a big city not too far from the capital. There, they have a place that will take in anyone younger than sixteen. Look for a big building made with red bricks in the center of the city; don't be afraid to ask around if you get lost. Whatever you do, don't stay in Hammerfest; this is the poorest part of the country. You won't find any help here." Wait, how do I know that?

"I...I will, Miss! Thank you!"

With a sad smile, Anna watched the girl leave. "And so ends my time as a rich woman," she muttered. Now with only one gold coin left on her person, traveling to the Southern Isles wouldn't be easy. Reluctantly, she began to walk out of the city.

There was a long road ahead.


	71. Fallen: Chapter 5

December 15.

"Eugene?" His wife called from the doorway of their chambers.

Grimacing at his injured wrist, the Prince-Consort sighed. "In here!" he called, beckoning her into the parlor. "Don't mind me; I'm just busy recovering from your brother's attempted deathblow."

Rapunzel smiled as she stepped into the room. "You're the one who decided to enter the tournament in the first place. You knew you'd have to face Thomas eventually. At least you gave everyone a good show."

Eugene frowned.

Wearing an expectant, confident smile, the Princess walked toward her husband. With a resigned grin, Eugene placed his injured wrist in her hand.

A single teardrop glistened in Rapunzel's eye before falling upon his wound. Instantly, Eugene felt a wonderfully familiar sensation of relief as his cut sealed and the surrounding bruise vanished.

Unable to resist the sudden urge that flooded into his veins, the former thief pulled his wife down into a gentle yet passionate kiss.

"You did great today," she reassured him as they pulled apart. "You've never made the semi-finals before, and all your bouts seemed pretty easy until you finally ran into Thomas. He definitely won the finals quicker than he beat you."

"I had a good teacher," he agreed. During his time as a rogue, Eugene had possessed some skill with the blade, but his exploits had relied more on improvisation and quick reflexes than actual technical skill. Once he'd moved into the Palace, Thomas had seen to refining his technique.

Eugene couldn't help but appreciate the irony. He was now a far superior combatant than he'd ever been as a rogue, but his adventuring days were over. Oh, he might go hunting or compete in tournaments, but life and death battles were long behind him. His skill would never truly be put to the test.

"How was your day?" He finally asked.

"Great. Leading the parade is always exhausting, but it's nice to see everyone. The people seem happy, and that's the important thing," she replied.

Eugene wasn't surprised. The rest of the Royal Family was liked well enough, but Rapunzel was adored by the common people. After waiting for her for so many years, their faith had been rewarded by a Princess who was clearly determined to better the lives of the nation's lower classes. Possessing both a natural regal grace and an earnestness that few were capable of, Rapunzel was beloved to the extent that not a single commoner in Corona would criticize her.

Despite her isolated upbringing and initial naivety, Rapunzel had taken quickly to the politics and the arts of state. She had known how to use the goodwill from her return to her advantage; few nobles had been brave enough to oppose her proposed social welfare programs. And after their success, the resulting adulation from Corona's commoners had made resisting her efforts an even more dangerous proposition for the nobility.

Anna, he knew, sought to emulate Rapunzel's successes once she became Queen of Arendelle. Unfortunately, Eugene knew she would not face the easy road that had been paved for the Lost Princess. It was not that he doubted her conviction; Anna was just as determined and just as transparent in her compassion as Rapunzel.

She also lacked the self-confidence and political instincts that the Coronan Princess possessed. Anna was not by any means stupid, but her level of intelligence was decidedly average. The Knight was a natural warrior and excellent at acting under life and death pressure, but those qualities wouldn't help her in appeasing the nobility when she tried to raise their taxes.

And her past as a notorious (albeit non-lethal) thief was not quite as compelling as the narrative of a missing Princess returning to her grieving nation.

"I think I know why they're happy." He smiled and glanced at her stomach. Rapunzel was just beginning to show at this point, and the people of Corona had been thrilled upon the announcement of her pregnancy.

It was a stark contrast to what their attitude had been several months ago. After Rapunzel had emerged from the Lucrania incident with one fewer arm than she'd possessed previously, the public had responded with a mixture of sympathy for their Princess and outrage at their neighboring country. There were calls to embargo Lucrania, bar its citizens from entering Corona under pain of death, and even declare war upon the struggling nation. Thankfully, Rapunzel had remained as kind and generous to her subjects as ever; the populace had quickly realized that although her body had been damaged, her spirit remained whole. This, coupled with King David's subsequent death, had silenced calls for outright conflict. Still, whichever government emerged from Lucrania's turmoil would not be met with good tidings by the Coronan people.

By unspoken agreement, the two of them made their way to the red leather couch situated against the back wall of their parlor. Sitting down first, Eugene couldn't help but grin as his wife sat in his lap. Reaching around her back, he softly placed on his hands against her slowly growing stomach.

"We're going to be parents!" she breathed excitedly.

He sat there for a moment, mentally processing her words. "Yeah," was all he could say in response. Even after a month, the news was still bewildering to him. The Prince was just as glad as his wife, but-

"You're nervous," she said suddenly. It wasn't a question.

He couldn't deny it.

"Why?" she asked simply.

Eugene sighed, shifting uncomfortably beneath his wife. "Not for the usual reasons. Money, obviously, won't be an issue. And I know our child will have a wonderful mother. Short of an apocalypse, they'll have a peaceful and happy life. I suppose...well, it's selfish."

Turning in his arms; Rapunzel glanced at him quizzically.

He took a deep breath. "I'm afraid our child will love you more than me." There, he'd finally said it.

A rare flash of annoyance flittered in Rapunzel's eyes.

"No, forget that." He held up a placating hand. "I know our child will love you more than me. You're going to be such a perfect mother. Of course I'm okay with that. It's just...I'm afraid that with you being as amazing as you are, I'm just going to be an afterthought. You're going to get all of the love and attention, while I become this distant figure that's only good for distracting mommy away from time with her child."

At that, Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "You're going to be a wonderful father. It doesn't have to be a competition. As long as you make sure to spend time with him or her, which you will, you'll get your fair share of love."

The Prince sighed. "I don't know anything about being a father. I never really had parents of my own. You..." he paused briefly, allowing unpleasant memories to filter through his head. "Gothel, at least, taught you what not to do. Your real parents, even if they missed your childhood, are amazing. I've never had a chance to learn anything about parenting."

It was foolish to complain, he knew. How many notorious thieves were pardoned, married a Princess, and got the chance to raise a royal child? Before he'd met Rapunzel, Eugene had never even given any thought to being a father. Now that the reality of parenthood was upon him, however, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

"If I thought you were going to be a bad father, I'd have told you so. You've always been there for me...no matter what the problem is. There's no way you would ever neglect our child," she said, placing her hand on his cheek. "We'll make sure he or she spends plenty of time with both of us. The staff in the Palace are wonderful, but we're going to be the ones who raise our child. Together."

Eugene nodded. "It will be interesting to raise the next monarch of Corona," he remarked. "Assuming, of course, that Thomas doesn't continue to spurn every Princess who seeks his hand in favor of one-night stands with any girl who piques his interest."

A loud cough from the door drew their attention.

"Still alive over here; don't get ahead of yourselves," Thomas noted as he walked into the parlor. "And some of us find the prospect of being stuck with a single partner for fifty years to be a tad boring. No offense meant, of course. And speaking of partners sticking together, a letter arrived for you today." Reaching into his pocket, the Crown Prince pulled out a thin white envelope bound in a familiar seal.

"Finally!" Rapunzel bounced off Eugene's lap and grasped the parchment. "It's been nearly two months since they were engaged; about time they got around to sending out the wedding invitations." Before Eugene could even stand up from the sofa, his wife had already torn off the seal (an impressive feat, given she only had access to one hand) and begun to read the letter at a furious pace.

Then the last thing he had ever expected happened right before his eyes. In the span of a few seconds, Rapunzel's expression shifted from excitement, to shock, and then to horror. Her happy smile morphed into tearful cries as she sat on the floor, staring at the parchment in her hands with disbelief.

"Sis?" Thomas asked nervously. "What's-"

Eugene extracted the letter from his wife's trembling hands. Looking down at the words, the Prince braced himself for the worst, but nothing could ever have prepared him for what he was about to read.

Rapunzel,

I can't believe I'm writing this. It's been a week, and it still doesn't seem real.

Anna never loved me. Everything...it was all a lie. She was a spy for the Southern Isles, sent to win my affection and influence me to enact policies that would favor the Isles. The first kidnapping attempt was staged...designed to make her look like a hero and win my trust. That's all she ever cared about. Everything she did, including saving both of our lives, was done to further ingratiate herself to me.

Evangeline's agents in the Isles heard whispers about the scheme. It had always been a long shot, but once it appeared that Anna was on the cusp of succeeding, the King had apparently been ecstatic. Then Evangeline had Anna followed and discovered her meeting with one of the Isle's agents when she was supposedly seeing her friend Kristoff.

I refused to believe it. The next time she went into the city, I followed her myself. What I saw broke my heart. She gave her contact a dozen intelligence secrets and assured him that she would be Queen within the next few months. The way she talked about me...I was nothing to her. Nothing except an assignment from her true King.

When I confronted her with this information, she denied it initially. Once it became apparent the scheme was up, Anna became enraged. She mocked me, proudly proclaiming her fanatic loyalty to the Southern Isles and its Royal Family. I attempted to detain her, but she fled. I could have captured her with my powers, but even now, I simply couldn't bring myself to hurt her. Now that she's loose, my guess is that she'll return to the Southern Isles. I doubt we'll ever see her again.

I'm sure you're just as shocked as I am. Anna played her role magnificently, and even now, weeks after she fled, I find myself expecting to see her in my bed when I retire for the night.

You'll want to come comfort me. While I appreciate it, I need some time alone. Talking about Anna now makes my powers want to go haywire; I'm not sure if even you'd be safe. Once I've calmed down, I'll come to Corona myself. Hopefully in time to see your baby be born.

Elsa.

"No..." he finally managed as Thomas took the letter and began to read it himself. "Anna would never...it has to be a trick! She saved your life twice! David tortured her for information on Elsa and she never talked. Don't you remember the scars?" It couldn't be true. Eugene had only met Anna a handful of times, but the Prince had never had even the slightest indication that she wasn't exactly what she presented herself to be.

And he was good at reading people.

With a voice entirely devoid of its usual lightness, Rapunzel finally spoke. "This is Elsa's handwriting. The letter was sealed with the Royal Seal of Arendelle; only the monarch has possession of it. And I can't imagine anyone somehow managing to force Elsa to write this."

Eugene fixed his wife with a harsh stare. "You can't mean-"

"I don't know!" she replied, throwing her arm up in the air. "There's only a few people in this world that I love. Anna is one of them. I'll never forget the sight of her standing against a hundred of David's men as I rode away on horseback. I named her our child's surrogate! But...I love Elsa too. I've known her for years, and I'm almost certain that this is her writing. I...I just don't know."

"Don't you find it just a little bit suspicious that the letter specifically tells us not to come to Arendelle?!" Eugene argued. It had to be a forgery. There was no other explanation.

Rapunzel nodded firmly. "Yes. That's why I'm going to Arendelle immediately. Alone."

Both Princes in the room erupted in a furry of protests, but Rapunzel simply waited for them to run out of air before continuing. "I know Elsa better than either of you. If her powers are at risk of going haywire, it's best if I talk to her alone. And we can't let this go public. I'm pregnant...not yet far enough along to prohibit travel, but still...I have an excuse to remain in my room and out of the public's eye for a week or two. If either of you accompany me, a dozen questions will be raised. We can't let this letter become public knowledge until we have all of the facts straight."

She paused, taking a deep breath before turning to Thomas. "I'm going to tell Mother and Father. While I talk with them, please prepare a ship for me. Staff it only with the most trusted officers we have who can be counted on to keep quiet and have it ready to go by tomorrow."

"I won't-"

Rapunzel stepped towards her elder brother, eyes blazing with determination. "You will. I'm traveling to Arendelle tomorrow. I'll either be on a ship or swimming across the Sisserian Sea, but I will be headed for Arendelle. Unless you want to enjoy the sight of a pregnant Princess drowning in the waves, I suggest you go and prepare a ship for me."

\

December 21.

The Queen smiled, taking a deep breath and inhaling the cold winter air. It was finally time.

The preparations for her ritual could only be begun on the day when the wintry energies of the world were at their peak. Only then was it possible to tap into the deepest reserves of her power and begin to accumulate the magic required. That day was today. Winter's Solstice had finally come.

She was standing in her study, surrounded by a group of the most senior Faithful. Most were jubilant, but Evangeline wore a look of worry. "Your Worship, building up such a large quantity of magic...will that not weaken your powers as you prepare to unleash your spell?"

Elsa nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. There is no avoiding that fact. In saving up my energy for the ritual, my powers will be decreased from their present level. I shall remain the most powerful magic wielder on earth, but the quantities of snow, ice, and wind I am capable of summoning shall be somewhat more limited. It is also likely that my ability to form Creations will disappear until the ritual is complete and my divinity restored."

The spymaster dipped her head in acknowledgment. "The Faithful will fulfill their sacred duty. Your Worship shall be secure until the day of reckoning."

"There is more," the Goddess intoned. "The magic I accumulate cannot be stored within me; it must be concentrated in the area around me. Only I will be capable of tapping into it, of course. Still, the energy flow must remain constant. For the sake of practicality, I shall build up my magic within this Castle. If I leave at any time before it is complete, however, the flow will cease, and the accumulated power will disappear."

"Your Worship will be unable to leave the Castle?" Evangeline questioned.

Elsa grimaced. "Perhaps I will be able to venture onto the grounds, but no farther. The Faithful will have to act as my agents throughout the country until the ritual is ready. Do this successfully, and your places in the new world will be assured."

"Of course, Your Worship," the spymaster replied with a deep bow.

"It shall take a year. Such a powerful feat of magic would strain my abilities even during the height of my power, and in my current form...Twelve months, that is what I ask for. Defend me faithfully, and you will rule beside me above the squalid filth that now dominate this world," she promised.

At this, the spymaster smiled. "There is no need to fear, Your Worship. The Faithful know our duty. Even still, your victory was foretold millennia ago. Nothing on this earth could hope to oppose your triumph.

Yes. The thought of the prophecy gave Elsa courage as she prepared to relinquish some of her powers for the time being. Neither she nor the Faithful would take any chances over the next year, but in the end, there would be no stopping the return of her divinity. Prophecies were never wrong.

Taking a deep breath, the Goddess clenched her fists and dove into her reserves of power. It was quite a pitiful amount compared to her true strength, but it would be sufficient to bring about its return. Concentrating, she willed her power to accumulate...to swell in the Castle around her until it was enough to enact the ritual that would end the reign of mortals forever.

One year to go.

\

December 27

Cold! Anna screamed as flying shards of ice embedded themselves in her flesh, allowing her blood to flow freely down into the pristine white snow at her feet. She tried to run, but the pain was all-consuming. Cruel spikes of frozen glass continued to gleefully stab into her skin, and even now a final massive shard prepared to spear into her chest-

The thief woke up with a gasp. Warm relief flooded into her as she realized her life was not yet over, but that relief was quickly tempered by the realization that her reality was not much better than the dream had been. Icicles were not purposely flying into her skin, but Anna was still surrounded by cold.

She was lying beneath a doorway, desperately trying to get some sleep before the sun rose and she was inevitably discovered and forcibly removed. The snow behind her back crunched noisily as Anna tried to get into a more comfortable position. As cold as the snow was, it at least provided Anna's back with a makeshift cushion that separated it from the stone pavement.

If only her ears weren't so cold! The thin hood Anna had procured did little to shield her face from the elements.

As Anna had quickly discovered, being poor in the Southern Isles sucked even more than it did to be poor in Arendelle. The Southern Isles (a misleading name if Anna had ever heard one- it was barely south of Arendelle, the kingdom of snow!) was a small, weak kingdom with a much lower standard of living than Arendelle boasted. Thieving had never been easy in Arendelle, but at least there had been plenty of citizens rich enough that Anna could steal from without feeling guilty yet also not so powerful as to be protected by impenetrable security. With the sharp divide between the wealthy and the poor in the Southern Isles, those citizens were few and far between.

Life just felt so empty. Anna had never been one to give up hope, regardless of how dire her circumstances had become. Recently, however, depression had come to poison her every waking moment. What was the point in struggling on? One day, she would die freezing in the snow. Did it matter if that day was now or five years in the future? It would probably even be best if it happened sooner rather than later. There would be less pain she had to endure before the end.

The little comforts that had sustained her previously failed to raise her spirits for more than a moment before the crushing reality of her existence reasserted itself. Before, she had always spent several minutes before she went to sleep daydreaming about a better future. Despite how unlikely a better life had been, Anna had comforted herself with the thought that nothing was impossible.

Now, those fantasies did nothing but reinforce the misery of her situation. Any brief moments of happiness she was blessed with, whether it was seeing young children play in the street or taking a rare bite from a warm loaf of bread, were immediately snuffed out by the cloak of despair that had enwrapped her ever since the start of her journey to the Southern Isles.

Anna wasn't certain what had changed. Perhaps her meager existence had finally become too much for her to bear. Something just seemed missing. What that was, the thief did not have the slightest idea. Since leaving the orphanage several years ago, she'd never owned anything worth having. Certainly nothing that could explain the black hole that had seemingly replaced her heart.

"Fucking gutter trash!"

Pain...real pain...exploded in Anna's gut as a heavy shoe slammed into her stomach. The thief let out a breathless cry as her body rolled out of the doorway and onto the street.

Gasping for air, Anna climbed shakily to her knees. Standing in the doorway that had been her shelter was an older man dressed in warm clothes and armed with a sharp dagger in his right hand.

"I see you around here again, I'll gut you like a fish!" he snarled, leveling the knife in her direction. "You want a roof to sleep under, get a damn job!"

In another time, Anna would have been tempted to argue. No one will hire me; believe me, I've tried! And was sleeping under your fucking doorway costing you anything?! But now, consumed by fear and hopelessness, Anna could only nod timidly before scrambling to her feet.

Still struggling for breath, she ran off into the night.


	72. Fallen: Chapter 6

December 28

The spymaster did not look happy.

"Is there a problem?" the Goddess questioned simply.

Evangeline bowed. "Yes, Your Worship. The Coronan bitch is here. She arrived unannounced an hour ago. Even now, she's making her way through the Palace. Very soon, she will be asking to speak with you."

Elsa scowled. This was a problem. Rapunzel posed no threat to her alone (how could a healing tear bring any harm upon a Goddess?), but she possessed the capacity to rally the entire nation of Corona against her. If the Princess returned to her country with knowledge of the truth, it would not be long before war was upon her. Likewise, imprisoning or killing her was not an option.

She'd wanted to avoid this scenario. Corona represented perhaps the only real threat to her plans. Still, this situation was by no means fatal. The Goddess had pretended to be a loyal servant to the King of the Gods for thousands of years before revealing her true colors. She was more than capable of putting on a convincing act for the Princess. And with her access to all of this body's memories, Elsa knew exactly how the Princess would expect her to act.

"Very well. She will expect me to meet with her immediately, and so I will. Continue to go about your daily business as if nothing is amiss. I will summon you if anything changes."

Evangeline bowed. "As you command, Your Worship."

\

"Elsa, it's me!"

A brief yet heavy pause settled into the air before the woman inside finally responded. "Rapunzel?! What are you...never mind. Come in." Sighing, the Princess nodded before opening the heavy oak door in front of her. Her heart was beating fiercely. A large part of her still hoped that the letter had been a ruse, and that Elsa would welcome her with a surprised smile with Anna standing right by her side.

Immediately, her hopes were dashed. The redheaded Knight was nowhere to be seen inside the room. All that awaited her was Elsa sitting behind her large desk, wearing a subdued yet clear look of grief.

"Is it true?" Rapunzel asked immediately. She looked to the monarch pleadingly, begging whatever gods existed that her cousin would have no idea what she was talking about. After all the three of them had gone through together, Anna simply couldn't-

Elsa stared down at her paperwork. "Yes," she finally replied. "Part of me still doesn't believe it, but...Anna never cared about me. Or cared about us. Everything she did...saving both our lives...it was all to please her true King."

"No!" Rapunzel protested. "That doesn't make any fucking sense! Anna went through hell for us. I watched her with my own eyes as she stayed behind to fight a hundred soldiers to the death just so the two of us could escape. Gods, Elsa...she withstood torture for you! And then it turns out she was loyal to someone else the entire time? No. There's something else going on here! I'm not sure what...maybe someone was blackmailing her or something-"

The Queen shook her head sadly. "How? Anna's probably the most deadly woman in the world apart from myself. Who could ever have threatened her, especially when she had my love and support standing behind her? When Evangeline first told me about Anna's treachery, I thought she was wrong. I questioned Anna, yes, but I expected her to prove me right. But she admitted it. She mocked me for being so easy to fool...for believing that anyone would ever love a woman as cold as me.

"Elsa..." Rapunzel walked forward, taking two large steps towards the Queen's desk. Gently, she placed her warm hand over her cousin's cool slender fingers. "There must be another reason. I don't know what it is, but we're going to find out. We need to find Anna."

Now, Rapunzel could see tears beginning to well up in Elsa's eyes. "...Rapunzel, I appreciate it. But I just can't...I don't want to give myself false hope again. Evangeline's spies within the Royal Court of the Southern Isles found out a lot about the King's dealings. Agents like Anna are brought up to serve the Royal Family from birth; they're raised to be fanatically loyal and unquestioning operatives. You could probably call it brainwashing. All of that loyalty that Anna showed us was real...it just wasn't loyalty to me. Anna was willing to sacrifice her life, yes, but it was for a different King. If I died, then her mission for him was a failure."

Then she was rising from her chair and leaning over her desk. Surprised, Rapunzel nonetheless welcomed the Queen into a loving embrace. "I don't know if I'll ever really recover from Anna," Elsa admitted as she wrapped her arms around the Princess. "But still...I'll always have family."

"Of course," Rapunzel promised. "I'm here for you. Thomas and Eugene wanted to come; I had to practically shove them off the boat before I left. But we're all here for you." It was true. The Princess would always support her cousin.

Especially when Rapunzel thought that she might be wrong.

Anna's leaving had obviously broken something within the Queen. That was plain for all to see. But that didn't mean that Rapunzel was completely convinced that Anna was indeed a spy for the Southern Isles. It wasn't...how could anyone ever put up an act that good? No. There was something else going on here. There had to be.

Elsa's guards were already looking for Anna, and there was little more that Rapunzel could do at the moment to search for the truth. But she would make inquiries when she returned to Corona...ask her father to take a closer look at the Southern Isles and, if possible, smuggle in a few spies of their own into the backwater kingdom. It might risk pissing the King of the Isles off, but so what? Corona barely conducted any trade with the Southern Isles, and militarily there was no comparison between the two.

For now, she had no choice but to wait. Inserting spies and gathering such sensitive information would take time. But Rapunzel was willing to wait as long as it took to discover the truth. Until then, she would not...could not believe that Anna was a traitor.

\

January 10

Living in the Royal City was extremely stressful for Kristoff. Although there were no wanted posters bearing his face, he knew that Queen Elsa would be more than happy to have him in her custody. The monarch was no fool. There would be no doubt in her mind that Kristoff was responsible for Anna's escape and likely knew the former Knight's current location.

It was imperative that he stay out of sight.

He found work outside the city, doing a variety of odd jobs. Unlike Anna, Kristoff was easily hired by prospective employers. His prodigious strength was clear for all to see, and the ice-harvester put it to good use when working for the locals. Although he wasn't rich by any means, his work gave him a steady stream of income; it was more than enough to rent a tavern room every night.

It was too dangerous to go back to ice-harvesting at the moment, and retuning to his shop would almost guarantee his capture. For the moment, however, he was stuck in the city. If Elsa ever decided to send out soldiers against the trolls, then Kristoff would be their only hope of an early warning. Any force sent out with sufficient numbers would be easy for all in the city to see. With his skill at traversing through the winter, Kristoff was confident he could outpace any force sent to the Northern Mountains.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Elsa would decide to attack the trolls herself. If that occurred, Kristoff would be utterly helpless. Pabbie did not think that likely. If she had intended to battle the trolls herself, she would already have done so. It was probable that, not knowing exactly what the trolls were capable of, the Queen did not want to take the risk of confronting them herself.

It was also possible that Elsa would never try to attack them in any way. But with what Anna had revealed about her true personality, they couldn't take that chance. If Elsa was as cruel and petty as Anna had described, she was probably not very keen on having a race of potentially dangerous magic wielders living within her borders. Especially since they had aided her escaped prisoner.

For now, all he could do was wait.

\

January 23

Something wasn't right.

He did not consider himself the Queen's closest advisor, but he was perceptive enough to notice that her behavior had changed over recent months. She never left the Palace grounds, was less patient with her servants, and seemed much less attentive at Council meetings.

Most would assume that this was due to Anna's betrayal, a natural reaction to having her heart ripped out by the woman she'd loved. And while Kale normally might have agreed with that assessment, there was one major problem with that version of events.

Anna wasn't a traitor. She couldn't have been. Supposedly, the former Knight was a fanatic operative of the Southern Isles sent to woo the Queen and bend her to her will. Her every action since arriving at the Castle, whether it had been saving lives or parading about like a ditzy girl, had been designed to further that mission. Anna had been willing to do anything to win a place at Elsa's side in order to influence her policies.

Yet he had been there the night Drell had revealed his true loyalties. He had offered to let Anna live and join his cause...if only she killed Kale to prove her commitment. If Anna had indeed been the spy that she was now painted as, the general would have met his end that night. Anna would have struck him down without hesitation, then returned to the Queen and informed her of Drell's treachery. It would have guaranteed Anna's survival and continued place at Elsa's side; instigating a fight had been a far more risky proposition.

Kale had never liked Anna. He still didn't. She was a young, foolish girl involving herself in matters that women should have no place in. He would never forget the sight of her prancing around the Castle, flaunting her status as the Queen's pet and spitting in the face of hard-working soldiers who had served the Royal Family for decades.

Still, none of that meant Kale did not acknowledge her bravery that fateful night. She had chosen to let him live when it would have been much easier to let his blood run red on the snow. Anna had not owed him anything. And, if nothing else, she was clearly loyal to Queen Elsa.

She would never have betrayed the Queen.

Someone was clearly lying...manipulating events to suit their own purposes. Kale had his suspicions. He had lost a lot of respect for Queen Elsa after watching her dote on a former thief for months on end, but he still knew his duty to the Royal Family. The general would do everything in his power to get to discover the hidden machinations behind Anna's fall, and if the person behind them intended to harm the Queen, then Kale would show no mercy.

He had a good idea of where to start.

\

January 29

"It can't be done, Evangeline," Elsa was saying. "I'm sure she was a devoted member of the Faithful, but there's nothing I can do for her. Even if I was at full power...it's beyond even the power of a goddess to bring one back from that realm."

The spymaster grimaced. Finally, she had worked up the courage to ask her goddess about a possibility that had entered her dreams some months ago. Even though it had been over a year since that fateful night, Evangeline still pined for her lover. She would never forget holding Vlora in her arms as the older woman bled to death, struck down by Drell's monstrous band of assassins. Although it was comforting to know that the Arms Master was still suffering in the worst prison in the country, nothing would ever be able to fill the hole in Evangeline's heart left by the death of her lover.

Vlora had been her mentor, having both taught her how to navigate the Royal Court of Arendelle and assisted her rise through the ranks of the Faithful. Although Vlora's middling level of magical power had meant that Evangeline eventually surpassed her in rank and became leader of the group, the Councilor's advice and company had always been extremely valuable to her. Nothing had been the same since her death.

"I would love to have the ability to bring back my devoted servants," the goddess continued. "But once one has entered the Realm Beyond, they cannot return to this world. Even all of the gods and goddesses working together could not accomplish such a feat. She's certainly been in the Realm Beyond for several months now, and only a single second spent inside its walls is sufficient to keep a soul there forever. "

Evangeline frowned. "I feared as much. But what about Anna? Her status as your consort allowed her to return from death."

Elsa shook her head. "Anna was on the brink of death; she had not entered the Realm Beyond. If a human consort was chosen fully by a god and accepted that bond, he or she would be made immortal and never have to fear journeying to the Realm Beyond. But once already inside that realm, even a consort of a goddess cannot hope to return. Only by achieving immortality before entering that realm could a consort hope to remain on earth forever. For one who has already completed the walk of death, such as Vlora, there is nothing that can be done...even when I am at full strength."

"I understand, Your Worship," the spymaster sighed. "I thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. I must admit, however, there is something else I would like to know...if you would permit me. What is life inside the Realm Beyond?"

Again, the Goddess's answer disappointed her. "I do not know. No one does. The Realm Beyond was a mystery even to the King of the Gods. All any of us knew was that it was located on a separate plane of existence...the final destination for human souls following their deaths. The King eventually created a spell that sent the other gods and goddesses there, but it was a one-way journey. He did not know what awaited him and his brethren upon arrival. It might be paradise. Or oblivion. The only thing certain about that realm is that no return from it is possible."

Closing her eyes in frustration, Evangeline again managed an appreciate nod. "I-"

A polite knock on the door of the study interrupted their conversation. "Enter!" Elsa called. Quickly, the door opened to admit Kayla. Instantly, her presence brightened the spymaster's mood. With magical power unrivaled among the Faithful's youth, Kayla was posted to rise as one of the Goddess's most favored servants. At the moment, however, the servant girl's face wore a look of some distress.

"Forgive me, Your Worship, but you...have a visitor. It's...Miss Gerda, Your Worship."

\

Elsa nearly swore to herself. She'd taken care of Anna, allayed Rapunzel's concerns, and put on a convincing act for her Council, but even a Goddess was capable of mistakes. The issue of Gerda had slipped her mind.

The memories came to her mind quite clearly now. After Kai's unexpected death, the head of the Castle's staff had been so shaken by her husband's demise that she'd been granted time to spend with her family. If Gerda had returned, it could only mean that she felt ready to resume her duties in the Palace.

Which, of course, was a disaster. Gerda had known Elsa better than almost anyone. It was doubtless that the woman was here to retake her place as the head of the Castle servants. With over ten more months until the ritual was ready, the potential for her to realize Elsa wasn't her old self was far too great. It was the same exact reason that Anna had been a danger.

Something would have to be done. For now, however, the Queen would have to put on a good show.

"Gerda, I'm so glad to see you!" Elsa gasped as the older woman walked through the door of the study. "With everything that's happened...Anna betraying me...I'm just really glad that you're back." Throwing off royal decorum as her mortal personality certainly would have, she wrapped her arms around Gerda.

The head servant returned Elsa's embrace, but the Goddess could immediately sense that something was wrong. Gerda's arms seemed weak and hesitant; it was a far cry from the bold yet caring woman that her memories described.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked. "Is it Anna? I can't believe it myself-" She stopped as Gerda stepped out of the embrace and shook her head.

"Your Majesty, the last thing I wanted was to add this to your problems, especially after everything that's happened, but..." she paused, gazing into Elsa's eyes. "I am out of time. I began to feel ill soon after returning to my family. I wanted to return sooner, but months passed and it only grew worse. I barely had enough energy to rise in the morning; pain began to spread into my bones...some days the agony is almost unbearable. When I had a physician examine me, he...he said it was cancer. At best, I have a month left."

For a moment, all Elsa could do was stare at the woman in front of her in shock. Then, gradually, the truth finally began to set in. Gerda was dying. And that meant that one of the Goddess's major problems had just solved itself!

Tears began to leak out of the older woman's eyes. "I'm sorry. I wished I was here to resume my duties, but I'm here to...say goodbye. I've been given a month to live; there's no cure. The pain is becoming unbearable." With a trembling hand, Gerda reached inside her coat pocket and pulled out a bottle of dark green liquid. "This is concentrated hemlock essence. If drank it offers a quick, painless death. I will spend my last days in the Castle, but I refuse to die in agony. When the pain becomes too much..."

What luck! The Queen couldn't believe her good fortune. What had been a potential disaster was now nothing more than a minor nuisance. And she would deal with it as quickly as possible.

\

There was no point in taking any chances. The longer Gerda lingered in the Castle, the higher the chances were that she would get closer to the truth. If the old woman was going to die, then Elsa would simply have to help her along.

That night, after Gerda had made her rounds breaking the news to her friends in the Palace, Elsa ordered a messenger to summon the head servant to the Queen's chambers. It was not long before there as a soft knock on her door.

"Enter."

Gerda walked in, a sad yet warm smile on her face. "Your Majesty, I...it's good to see you. If it weren't for this disease, I would have returned far sooner. But no matter what's happening to my body, Kai would never forgive me if I went to the next world before helping you in any way I could." She walked forward, placing a comforting hand over Elsa's fingers. "I can't believe Anna would...are you absolutely certain she..."

Elsa smiled. "You're absolutely right. Anna is not a traitor. She was loyal to me until the end." At that, the Goddess couldn't completely suppress a small smile at the open-mouthed confusion that appeared on the other woman's face.

"Then why...is she...?!"

The Queen shook her head. "Dead? No, despite my best efforts. She's lost in the wilderness somewhere, probably without her memories. For the moment, the girl is no concern of mine."

Gerda took a horrified step back, retracting her arm from Elsa's pale skin. "Elsa, what-"

She wasn't quite as strong as she had been two months ago, but it still only took a flick of Elsa's wrist to seal both the door and windows under a layer of thick ice. Now, Gerda couldn't leave this room unless the Goddess allowed it, and no one on the outside would be able to hear this conversation.

"The Elsa you knew is gone. She was only a pale imitation of what I am. Millennia ago, traitors turned against their Goddess and scattered her essence. Her divine potential was eventually reborn in your Queen, and thanks to my faithful servants, my true personality has come to inhabit this body. The pathetic woman you knew no longer exists," she revealed.

The older woman stared at her with wide eyes, taking an involuntary step backwards. Satisfaction rippled through Elsa. For months, she'd had to put on a facade for the mortal around her...concealing her contempt for their weakness and pretending to adhere to their banal beliefs about morality. She did not have to put up an act for the Faithful, of course, but they were perhaps the only humans on this planet she didn't intend to punish. Seeing Gerda's fear was the most refreshing thing to happen to her in millennia.

And it was only the beginning. Once her divinity returned, the rest of humanity would share in that horror. As they suffered for the sins of their forefathers, the mortals of this planet would come to know the costs of displeasing a Goddess.

"You...you're..."

"I had feared that you would interrupt my plans before the ritual was complete, but you've done all my work for me. All I have to do is convince the staff that your pain convinced you to drink that little bottle a few days early, then put on a frown as we bury your body. Although you don't know it, you're actually one of the fortunate ones," Elsa continued.

Gerda simply stood there, hands shaking in horror as she beheld the Goddess in front of her.

"Now, you will-"

"No!" the head servant suddenly shouted. "Elsa, I loved you as a daughter. I watched you grow from a sweet, adorable child into the strongest and fairest Queen this kingdom has ever known. And if you're still in there, hear me now! Fight this bitch and take back control!"

Elsa chuckled. "She's gone, I'm afraid. Now, please take the quick end I'm offering you and kindly crumple to the floor. You're giving me a migraine."

Gerda's fist clenched, though the Goddess could see the pain that such an action caused her. "Never. Not while the woman I helped raise is possessed by a monster. Elsa, your parents loved you. Kai loved you. I love you. Anna loves you. Don't make all of our lives be for nothing! We all believe in you. You can't be gone...I won't accept it."

"Is that so?" the Goddess asked. "Let me describe to you the little ritual I'm preparing. In less than a year's time, I will have enough energy built up to submerge every man, woman, and child in winter. But this will be no ordinary blizzard. My magic will sweep the earth, turning every mortal it touches into an icy statue. When snow is falling at every corner of the world and my power holds dominion over every living thing on the planet, the divinity I once possessed will resurface and flow back into me. After that, I will allow much of humankind to unfreeze, but many will remain frozen to remind my subjects the cost of rebelling against me. The Kings, Queens, and priests around the world will be among those who stay trapped, including my so-called family."

It was simpler than it sounded. For the divinity of the Goddess of Winter to reawaken, winter must reign utterly supreme across the entire planet. Her divine essence had lain dormant for thousands of years; nothing less would be capable of reviving it. But as soon as it occurred, it would flow into the Goddess's reincarnation immediately. The last piece of her essence would automatically seek to reunite with the whole...and complete the natural union that had once been torn asunder.

"You're insane!" Gerda gasped.

Elsa smiled. "How cliché," she noted. "But, as the most powerful being in the world, I decide what is classified as sane. Now, answer me this. If the Elsa you knew really was still here, do you think she'd allow this to happen? Would someone of her weak sentimentality allow this ritual to pass?"

Gerda said nothing, her face now stark white and frozen in fear.

"No," Elsa answered for her. "And the ritual will succeed. The return of my divinity was pre-ordained two thousand years ago, and no prophecy has ever been wrong. There's nothing that can prevent my reign from coming to pass, least of all you. Still, you'll be lucky enough to escape it. Drink the poison and put yourself out of my misery."

"I-"

Sighing, the Goddess raised her hand and pointed a finger at Gerda. Instantly, a long, thin spike of ice materialized in front of her finger and crept towards Gerda's neck. "Drink the poison. Now. I'd rather you die cleanly; it will mean less work for me. But if I have to, I will inflict a considerable amount of pain upon you before making you drink regardless. Healing the wounds I give you will be an annoyance, but by morning nothing will remain of them. There's nothing you can do to hinder my plans. The only choice you have left is to decide how painful your death will be."

Once again, Gerda reached into her pocket and extracted the small vial of dark green liquid.

"Elsa, please-"

The icicle grew longer, slipping under Gerda's chin and pricking her neck. "Now."

Closing her eyes, the older woman brought the bottle to her lips. A single gulp was all it took for her to down the entire bottle. Tears dripping to the floor, Gerda stepped back and slumped against the wall.

The head servant raised her eyes and stared into the Goddess's gaze. "Elsa, don't-"

That was all she managed before her breathing stopped. With a loud thud, the body fell to the side and collided with the floor.

With a sigh, Elsa waved her hand and dispersed the ice around the room. All she had to do now was summon the servants, explain that Gerda had chosen to die in the presence of the Queen she'd helped to raise, and feign grief as they took the body away. Then, finally, Elsa could get to bed.

She had a terrible headache.


	73. Fallen: Chapter 7

October 3

"What did you think of our excursion?" Evangeline asked the young maid beside her.

Kayla frowned. It was the second time she'd accompanied the spymaster on a journey to the prison, and while she'd enjoyed the experience, there hadn't been much Kayla had been able to contribute. Now that they were both back at the Palace and seated in the spymaster's chambers, she felt no compunction about letting that opinion be known.

"I...it was nice. I always like seeing you work. But I don't understand why you wanted me to go with you; there's not much I can do to help interrogate someone. You didn't need me at all," she answered honestly.

Evangeline looked at her curiously. "Come," she beckoned. "Sit with me," the older woman commanded as she lowered herself onto the room's large sofa. Confused but obedient, Kayla nodded and quickly sat on a chair across from her superior.

"I do not take you on these trips because I need your assistance," Evangeline began, lighting a candle on the table beside her as she spoke. "Now, answer me this question: what determines whether one is right or one is wrong? What makes the Goddess Elsa the rightful ruler of this planet?"

The young maid's eyes widened. She had no idea where that question had some from; what did it have to do with their visit to the prison? Still, the answer was obvious. It had been drilled into her since the day she was born...almost thirteen years ago.

"Magical power," Kayla answered automatically. "That is why the Queen deserves to rule everything. And why the Faithful are destined to be her lieutenants in the new world...high above every Ungifted mortal. It's our power that gives us the right to rule."

Evangeline's lips pursed. "Yes. That is what we would expect you to say; it's the lesson we teach to every child born into our ranks. I cannot fault you for taking our teachings to heart. And to a certain extent, you are correct. But there is another factor that is also important, without which innate magical power means nothing at all. Can you tell me what that is?"

Kayla found her eyes drawn to the burning light of the candle. She stared into the flame, allowing the soft glow to comfort her. Evangeline's words were nothing short of stunning. Magic was what determined one's worth; that was the truth of the world. To hear anything different from the woman who had mentored her for years...Kayla wondered if she had somehow misheard.

An audible sigh brought her gaze back to the spymaster. "Power is essential, but it is not enough," Evangeline lectured. "All of the magic in the world means nothing if one is not willing to use it. To rule over others, you must be capable of using your gifts whenever necessary. Willing to use them whenever necessary. If you allow the morals of the Ungifted to restrain your actions, then you are no better than they are."

For a moment, the spymaster paused, allowing Kayla to digest her words. Willingness to use her powers? There was no problem there. Suddenly, Evangeline's earlier pronouncement did not seem so shocking.

"During her first life, the Goddess was not the only one with immense magical abilities on this earth," Evangeline continued. "Thanks to her experiments into the deepest depths of magic, there were few who rivaled her. But the King was one of them. A contest between the two of them could have gone either way. Why then was she justified in overthrowing his rule when their magic was equal?"

Kayla frowned, thinking for a few seconds. "Because he was not willing to use his powers. Not fully," she answered. "He hesitated to enforce his rule over the mortals whenever they rebelled. His interference with the laws of magic created profanities...allowing similarly weak gods and goddesses to make their mortal consorts immortal and award them magic they did not deserve. It was his weakness that made her actions justified."

"Exactly," Evangeline agreed, nodding in approval. "She will rule this world forever as its rightful Empress. Not only because she is the most powerful being on the planet, but also because she is willing to use her power whenever necessary."

The maid nodded. "I understand. Still...what does this have to do with me?"

Evangeline smiled. "The Winter Solstice is approaching. When the power of the goddess has returned, the Faithful will reveal themselves openly and take our places as her lieutenants. Elsa will need our assistance to contain the chaos as she establishes her authority over the planet; even the Goddess will not be all-powerful or all knowing. When that day comes, you must be ready to assume your place. There is much more to your destiny than the life of a maid. I need to know that you're ready to assume a role at my side."

"Oh..." Kayla just managed to hide the enormous grin threatening to stretch across her cheeks. She'd known she was going to cease to be a maid following Elsa's ritual, but to hear just what she was being groomed for...it was a tremendous honor.

Evangeline smiled. "And you did very well. Throughout all of his suffering, you never once flinched. I'm happy to say that I believe you capable of assuming a prominent role. When the time comes and you must strike down the mortals who oppose you, there will be no hesitation."

"No," Kayla agreed. She'd already used her magic to kill. Well, almost. The wolves she'd controlled and sent after Anna had failed, but Kayla had possessed every intention of using her magic to murder the other woman. When Evangeline had told her to send out the beasts against the former thief, Kayla had not hesitated. To please her mentor and serve her goddess, she would do whatever was necessary. She would kill without hesitation.

Kayla just hoped her powers were up to the task.

Her fear must have shown itself, for the spymaster placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry. I have every confidence in your abilities. All you must do now is wait until Elsa has accumulated enough magic for her ritual. We've been careful this year and will continue to be so during the goddess's temporary weakening, but there is no doubt that Elsa willsucceed. It was ordained two thousand years ago, and no prophecy has ever been wrong. Once her divinity returns, your days as a maid will be over forever."

Kayla grinned, but the mention of the ritual awakened another concern deep within her. "The ritual...I've heard, well I know it's going to turn the entire world into ice statues. Is that...going to include us? I know we'd be released, but..."

The spymaster confirmed her words with a nod. "Yes. The day of the winter solstice, Elsa's magic will spread out from this Castle like a wave; turning everyone it touches into ice. I don't know if it will be pleasant," she answered honestly, "But the transformation will only be temporary. The same won't be said for everyone, of course. The goddess intends to punish the human race for destroying her. They forced the most powerful being in existence to wander the earth as a fractured spirit for thousands of years until reincarnating as a mortal queen...the price for that will be heavy. Many humans will remain frozen forever, including every royal and noble on earth. Even her relatives in Corona will not be spared. It will be both a punishment and a fitting reminder that..."

Evangeline suddenly stopped, her eyes frozen in fear. Kayla followed her gaze...and immediately drew in a sharp intake of breath. Made visible by the dim candlelight was the edge of a human shadow, stretching into the spymaster's chambers thanks to the small crack beneath the bedroom door.

They had been overheard.

\

Kale had decided to take a chance. All of his intuition had implicated Evangeline as the culprit behind Anna's unthinkable arrest. He didn't know why the spymaster would have chosen to turn the Queen and her protector against one another; a plot to murder the Queen was not the answer. Evangeline had taken part in Elsa's defense for years, and there had certainly been opportunities for her to strike against the monarch over the past twenty years. Still, his gut had told him that she was up to something. It was, apparently, her agents that had uncovered Anna's treachery. The general had never liked the girl, but he had immediately known that the story of her supposed betrayal was a lie. Those agents only answered to one person: Evangeline. If they were deliberately falsifying the story of Anna's treachery, then the spymaster was almost certainly the mastermind.

He'd been cautious. Over the past several months, he'd kept a close eye on the spymaster's activities. The process had been frustratingly slow. Evangeline was perhaps the most reclusive woman in the Castle, and she was more skilled in espionage than Kale would ever be. Any investigations on his part had to be utterly discreet. Still, as the months went by, the coincidences began to add up. Evangeline was spending more time than ever by the Queen's side, while focusing less of her efforts on international affairs. Her attitude towards her usual duties had noticeably changed; she performed them with less zeal. It was almost as if Evangeline was under the impression that they would soon become irrelevant.

The most apparent change, however, was in her mood. Formerly, she had always been the epitome of stoicism. Only Vlora's death had cracked her emotional mask. But in recent months there was almost a glow of satisfaction that seemed to constantly resonate from her very being. Evangeline now acted as if she had fulfilled her life's goal...or that she was on the cusp of doing so. There was an eagerness about her that Kale quickly noticed. Something had changed. He just didn't know what.

Adding to his suspicions were the new guards that had been added to the Palace's forces. Although he was the highest-ranking military officer within the Castle, Kale had little direct oversight on the Palace's employment of guards. At first glance there was nothing strange about them, but careful observation had determined that they were of a different breed than the Castle's usual defenders. They were discernibly less adroit in some of their day-to-day duties, and the only people they socialized with were one another. Casual inquiries to the more experienced guards confirmed that the odd dozen new appointees spoke with their longer serving counterparts only when it was necessary.

When the general had brought up the subject of the new guards at a Council meeting, his concerns had been immediately dismissed. Evangeline in particular argued that there was no cause for worry; her agents conducted extensive background checks on all appointees to the Castle's armed forces, and nothing about the new recruits suggested that they were a threat.

It was that quick dismissal, more than anything else, that aroused Kale's suspicions. Evangeline had always been both thorough and paranoid. It went with her job as spymaster, and had aided in the defense of the Royal Family more than once. It went against her very nature to ignore a potential threat to the Queen, even if her agents had conducted background checks. At the very least, she would have opened up a second round of investigation. The behavior of the new guards was certainly suspicious enough to warrant further inquiries into their pasts.

One thing that had eventually come to his attention was that whenever Evangeline left the Castle, the young maid known as Kayla was nowhere to be found. It had not taken more than a small amount of investigating to determine that the two women were traveling together. And that did not make the slightest amount of sense. It also did not escape his notice that Kayla (when not traveling with Evangeline), spent far more time than any other maid attending to the Queen.

It had still been possible that there was an innocuous explanation. Perhaps Kayla was one of Evangeline's agents and they were working on a project to protect the Queen. Unlikely, but possible. His manner of investigation was thus simple but crude. As commander of the Royal Army, Kale had easy access to the patrol schedules of the Palace's numerous guards. It had taken him mere minutes to discover who would be on duty in the Castle's Second Wing (the location of the spymaster's chambers.) As part of him had expected, they were two of the new guards. In fact, at least one of the guards assigned to the Second Wing had been one of the new breed...every night for the past several months, apparently upon Evangeline's request. The archives of past schedules had revealed as much.

Upon learning of the spymaster's imminent return, he'd decided that it was time to make his move. If Evangeline was indeed up to something and collaborating with allies inside the Castle, they would doubtlessly be discussing their plans upon her return to the Castle. A few quick alterations to the patrol schedule (as a friend of the ranking officer in the guard, it was easy for the general to gain access and make a few changes with no one the wiser) ensured that only one guard would be stationed in the Second Wing that night. And it was one of Kale's friends.

It had been easy for the general to convince the guard to take a brief leave of absence from his post. A few quick excuses and assurances had been all that was necessary to send him to another Wing for twenty minutes. Normally, guards would be too disciplined to abandon their posts, but few men in the military were willing to refuse an order from a general.

If Kale was wrong about Evangeline, then there would be no harm done. Life in the Castle would go on. But if his spying on any conference she might be having with her conspirators revealed that his suspicions were correct, he'd be able to slip away and warn the Queen before Evangeline even knew he was there. And if such a conference were taking place, it would almost certainly be within the spymaster's chambers. Confident that one of her allies was guarding the door, she would be confident that soft-spoken words would not be overheard.

The words he had heard tonight had completely shattered his plans. Elsa was not the target of this conspiracy; she was its leader. Drell, whose words Kale had dismissed as nonsense from a raving lunatic, had been right after all. The Queen was a reincarnation of a goddess thousands of years old, and intent on using her powers to subjugate every human on earth to her twisted whims. Many would be condemned to spend eternity as statues of ice.

Even as his world was reeling from these revelations, a sharp gasp from inside the bedroom informed Kale that he had erred greatly. Although the general had been intelligent enough to plan his espionage effectively, his lack of experience on the actual act of spying had exposed him. As his shock had mounted as the conversation on the other side of the door had continued, Kale had unconsciously drifted closer to the wooden barrier...until his shadow had become visible to those on the other side.

The door swung open, revealing him fully to the room's occupants. Kale had been more than ready to attack, but the sight of a thirteen year old child smiling at him innocently took the general off his guard. By the time he had raised his sword, a smirking Evangeline had vanished from view.

Out of the corner of his eye, he perceived a swirl of black mist behind him.

\

Kristoff took a large swig of his ale, allowing the warmth of the alcohol to sweep through him. An early winter was once again upon Arendelle, and even someone as accustomed to the cold as an ice-harvester was relieved to be indoors.

He was sitting in a pub near the edge of the Royal City. Its somewhat rundown state and mediocre quality of food made it one of the less popular taverns in the capital, but that was exactly why Kristoff had chosen it. During his excursions into the Royal City, he preferred not to make himself visible. The guards might not be actively hunting for him, but he had a feeling that Elsa would be glad to lock him up if she got the chance.

Should be safe here. No one from the Castle would lower themselves by coming to this slum.

His mind, as it often did, went to Anna. He couldn't imagine anyone living out in this cold. Hopefully she'd managed to find a steady job in the Southern Isles, but having forgotten all of her swordplay, the odds of that were not likely.

A familiar sensation of guilt washed over him. Kristoff had done everything in his power to convince the former Knight to stay with the trolls, even if she still planned to lose her memory, but Anna had refused to be swayed. She wasn't willing to make them a target by remaining in their camp, even though it was possible that they would eventually come under attack regardless. Even at her lowest point, Anna had put others before herself.

Unfortunately, a good heart didn't help a young woman make the money she needed to survive. And since Anna wasn't skilled at...almost anything besides climbing, it was doubtful that she had secured a steady job for herself.

I tried to stop her, he reminded himself. It didn't help.

The former ice-harvester was jolted out of his thoughts by a loud creak. Chatter between the tavern's dozen patrons suddenly ceased as a tall, broad man walked through the door. All eyes were instantly drawn to the new arrival. Arendelle was currently experiencing one of its first snowfalls of the year, yet he was dressed in nothing but a light military uniform and a heavy scowl. A hastily made bandage covered a large portion of his left forearm.

Kristoff was seated at the far end of the room, but his heart immediately began to pound. He knew this man all too well. They'd been prisoners together! Although he had no idea why a high-ranking officer had come to one of Arendelle's seediest pubs, the ice-harvester knew that it was time to go.

"Coffee," Kale said gruffly as he sat down on a barstool. As the bartender began to heat the water and the patrons wearily allowed their attentions to divert from the wounded military man, Kristoff quietly rose from his seat. Although he was usually adamant about leaving a tip, Kristoff decided that tonight was the perfect time to make an exception.

Unfortunately, he forgot to count on a warrior's honed awareness. Kristoff was only halfway to the door when Kale's gaze landed on him. Hurriedly looking down at the floor, the former ice-harvester pretended to not notice the older man and walked quickly to the door. Within moments, he was outside.

Kristoff briskly walked off into the night, taking a few hurried steps down the street before turning sharply into a narrow alley. For a moment, the ice-harvester thought he was in the clear. Then, the sound of heavy boots crunching into the snow appeared behind him.

Shit. Tensing his legs, Kristoff prepared to run.

"I need your help," Kale said calmly.

Shocked, Kristoff turned around to face the older man. Ten feet was all that separated them. For a moment they stood facing each other, alone in the narrow alley save for the soft snowfall that whirled around them.

"What are you talking about?" Kristoff demanded. "Don't come any closer!" he added as Kale took a step forward. With hot adrenaline racing through his freezing fingers, the ice-harvester was barely able to extract the short heavy knife he kept holstered in his belt.

The general let out a single, contemptuous laugh. "Put that away, boy. You're strong, but you're no warrior. If I was here to kill you, your blood would already be spilling out onto the snow." Pausing, he let out a long sigh. "Elsa would like you in chains, true, but I'll never do a damn thing for her again. She's not who I thought she was."

Kristoff didn't lower the knife. "Is that so? Looking for a new job? That's why you need my help, I suppose. Want some tips on ice-harvesting?"

The general's lips morphed into a heavy scowl. "We don't have time for this crap. You were there, with me, that night. Remember what Drell said? Every word out of his traitorous mouth was true. Elsa is a goddess reincarnated, and she intends on reclaiming her power and using it to punish humanity."

What?! Kristen's mouth gaped open. He'd long since learned that Elsa was not the benevolent Queen she presented herself as, but a goddess reincarnated? It couldn't be possible. The trolls weren't even sure that gods had ever existed.

"I don't believe you," Kristoff replied.

Kale shook his head angrily. "Then you'd better start. Is it really so surprising that the Queen who betrayed your friend turned out to be a monster?" Suddenly, the general's eyes lit up. "I'm sure you're the one who smuggled her out of the city. But you never would have had the chance if I hadn't released her from that dungeon. Did Anna tell you that? No, I don't think she was even smart enough to figure it out for herself."

"That's bull," Kristoff shot back. "Anna told me all about you, Kale. You hated her from the very beginning. Why the hell would you ever help her escape?" he demanded. "You would never risk your life for hers."

"I never liked her," Kale agreed. "But she saved my life; I owed her a debt. And no one who was there that night would ever believe that Anna was a traitor to Arendelle. If she was really a spy for the Isles, she'd have killed me then and there. I knew she was innocent."

It made terrible sense, Kristoff realized. Anna had told him that her rescuer had claimed to be fulfilling a debt. How could Kale know that unless he had been the rescuer?

For the first time, the ice-harvester looked upon the older man with a degree of belief. "Is that why you're here?" he asked, all sarcasm gone from his voice. "She found out that you're the one who released her? Let me guess, you escaped and went to the most out of the way place you could think of to recover?" he gestured to Kale's wounded arm.

"You're missing the bigger picture," Kale corrected impatiently. "Ever since Anna's so-called betrayal, I've been trying to find out who framed her. I thought that whoever got rid of Anna would be targeting the Queen." He paused, letting out a sardonic chuckle. "To my surprise, it was the Queen. I thought it was Evangeline, but spying on her told me that she's only serving Elsa. The conversation I witnessed went beyond anything I imagined. Elsa is the reincarnation of the goddess, and on the winter solstice, she will initiate a ritual that will fulfill the prophecy Drell spoke of. Her divinity will return, and she will cast aside her benevolent facade and oppress humanity for eternity. No one without magic will be spared…not even her own family."

Could it really be possible? Kale's knowledge of Anna's rescue proved that they were on the same side, but even still...a goddess? It seemed incredibly outlandish, even for someone who had grown up surrounded by magic.

And yet...that would answer countless questions. Why Elsa's magic was far more powerful than any other mage's. Why she could use more than one ability. How she had seen through the trolls' magical shield. And why Drell, Anna's honorable teacher, had been so convinced that she needed to be destroyed.

He'd have to talk with Pabbie to be sure, but Kale's words had convinced him for the moment. Accepting that fact, of course, came with the realization that a wicked Goddess was months away from becoming all-powerful and subjugating the entire world. Fuck.

All that time, Anna had been dating an evil ice goddess. Everything she did for her...Elsa was only using her as a tool. The bitch was just manipulating Anna to protect herself while trying to gather power from her ritual. That's probably why she sent Anna away when she did; once Drell's conspiracy was dealt with, it wasn't worth the risk of keeping another powerful magical user around. If Anna had found out what Elsa was up to...

"What do we do?" Kristoff sighed. The knife went back into his belt.

He'd been expecting a smile in acknowledgment of his acceptance of Kale's words, but the general only nodded grimly. "We have no proof. No army would ever follow us into attacking that Castle, and going there alone would be suicide. Elsa's not alone. She's been somewhat weakened by storing her magic for the ritual, but Evangeline is supporting her with a powerful group of mages. They'd kill us in an instant."

"How did you escape?" Kristoff couldn't help but ask.

"Evangeline caught me spying on her. She can teleport, as it turns out. Bitch distracted me with her little accomplice and materialized right behind my back. But she didn't count on my reflexes. Before she could pull out her dagger, I wheeled around and smashed my elbow into her face. She blacked out immediately."

A teleporter? Great. "Did you kill her?" he asked. That would be one less thing to worry about.

Kale frowned ruefully. "I was about to. But Kayla, was still standing there. She has some kind of magic...Evangeline had mentioned it during their conversation...but that wasn't what she used on me. Turns out, she doesn't look so innocent after she pulls out a knife, and she carries a few of them hidden in her sleeves. I dodged the first. The second took me here," he gestured to his bandage. "I took off running, and she barely missed her next throw. I got out of the Castle easily enough, but by now I'm sure the girl has told them what I overheard."

Kristoff suppressed a shiver as he glanced at the covered wound.

"The point is, they know I'm onto them. They'll kill me before I got within a hundred feet of Elsa. A sneak attack won't work, and the Queen hasn't left the Castle in months. As much as I hate to say it, we need your friend. Where is she?"

Anna. Pabbie would be able to find her with a locator spell. His magic protected her from the locator spells of others, but he himself could still use his abilities to find her. But what good would that do? It wasn't even certain that she had survived the winter. Even if she had, her memories and powers were both gone. There was nothing she could do for them.

Wait...locator spells. His eyes drifted to Kale, and a spike of dread embedded itself in his heart.

Pabbie's magic protected Anna from locator spells, and the troll had given the same protection to Kristoff himself long ago. Kale was not so lucky. If Evangeline had an entire Order of magic users under her command, it was likely that at least one of them was capable of that spell.

"We need to leave, now," Kristoff breathed.

Kale held up a hand. "We have time. They won't search this part of the city for hours, and we need supplies for wherever we're going. And I need to find a sturdy bandage if I'm going to move across the country with this arm."

Kristoff clenched his teeth, trying to rein in his mounting panic. "Kale, I grew up surrounded by magic users; it's how I met Anna in the first place. There's a spell that mages can use to find people; all they need is something that belongs to them. Anna and I received protection from it, but they can still target you. If they use something you left behind at the Castle..." He stopped. Growing steadily louder over the night air was the sound of a group of galloping horses, racing through the streets.

The ice-harvester expected Kale to panic. But the general only drew his sword and stared at him intently.

"We have to go, now!" Kristoff repeated.

Kale shook his head. "Too late for me. You're a different story. Get out of here! Now, before they know I told you! Go find Anna and whatever other help you can get. Hurry! I'll stay behind and hold them off."

"You can't win!" Kristoff protested desperately. By the growing sound of the horses, they had thirty seconds at most before Elsa's forces were upon them. "They'll have mages...you're wounded. Let's go!"

The general stepped forward furiously. "You're not a soldier; I wouldn't expect you to understand sacrifice," he growled. "They need to think that knowledge of the truth died with me; it's the only way that you'll be able to get out of the city. Now, run!" Kristoff stood frozen as Kale lunged forward. Strong hands roughly grabbed him by the shoulders before shoving him towards the entrance of the alley.

"We can't them see you with me. Go!"

Kristoff's brain desperately tried to find a way out, but deep down he knew that there was none. Kale was going to die tonight; nothing could change that. But if Kristoff escaped, then the general's last hours might end up meaning something.

He thought about yelling back some last words of encouragement, but his mouth refused to work. There was nothing he could say. Frustration clawing at his heart, Kristoff started running.

\

It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of battle breaking out behind him. Kristoff tried to discern what was happening through the noise, but the wind rushing by his ears made such a task impossible. All the ice-harvester knew was that he was far enough away to be confident that none of Elsa's forces had seen him. And in the end, that was all that mattered.


	74. Fallen: Chapter 8

October 4

"You mean to tell me," Elsa repeated, "That you decided to have a conversation in which you revealed everything about our plans...without first checking if the hallway outside was clear of Ungifted?" Her voice was cold, tempered steel. The Goddess's poise had not deserted her, but an icy storm of anger clearly simmered just beneath the surface.

Evangeline lowered her head. "Your Worship, I-"

SMACK. The Goddess's hand whipped out, striking Evangeline's cheek with fingers coated in frost. The spymaster stumbled backward, keeping her eyes fixed upon the ground. Her cheek was so cold...it felt like it was burning.

Yes, the pain from the blow stung, but it didn't cause her nearly as much agony as the thought that she had failed her Goddess. Because of Evangeline's carelessness, all of their plans had been thrown into jeopardy. Kale had been silenced, yes, but his death would require some creative explanations. Worse still, it was always possible that he had spoken with an ally before their men had discovered him.

She dropped to her knees. Evangeline did not expect mercy; she knew she did not deserve it. "Your Worship, I take full responsibility for my mistakes. I submit myself to your judgment. I am fully aware that death is a fitting punishment for my transgressions."

Elsa said nothing, and for several moments Evangeline continued to stare at the floor. Finally, the tension in the room built up to a point where she could no longer stand it, and the spymaster hesitantly raised her gaze to stare upon the Goddess's form.

The spymaster was met with an angry, exasperated glare. "Perhaps," Elsa agreed. "But I do not throw away useful servants on a whim. I am not so rash as to let anger cloud my judgment. A single failure does not mean that you are no longer valuable to me. Nor does it negate the years of service you spent preparing for my return. Your skills are still a useful asset to our cause, and they will be valuable to my reign once my divinity has returned. I would be a fool to kill you."

Her heart was beating at lightning fast speed. How fortunate was she, that her Goddess did not let petty anger distract her from their ultimate goals! No, Evangeline would not die this night. She would continue to serve her mistress; that is how she would atone for her mistake.

"Send out every available agent," the Goddess ordered. "Search the area where Kale was killed, retrace his steps from there back to the Palace, and interrogate anyone who might have seen him. It's possible he discussed his newfound knowledge with an ally, however little time he had before our men found him. Have your agents comb his entire route to that alley, looking into every shop he might have entered. If anyone claims to have seen a man of his description, I want them brought back to the Palace for a full interrogation."

\

"I told you how cold it would be out here," Elsa admonished gently as she observed Anna's subdued freezing.

The Knight shook her head. "I'm fine," she promised. "This jacket is big enough, and how many women can say they've had an outdoor picnic in the middle of a blizzard?" she continued happily.

Elsa shot her an exasperated smile. Since the two of them were due to leave for Eldora in a few days, Anna had proposed that the two of them spend some quality time enjoying Arendelle. This, to the Queen's initial shock, had entitled journeying out onto the Castle grounds during a snowstorm with a warm blanket and a picnic basket. Elsa's powers were more than enough to shield the area around them from the falling snow, as well as clear a large enough patch of grass to serve as a host for their picnic. Nothing she could do would shield Anna entirely from the cold, but the younger woman was still enjoying the experience.

They'd eaten the food given to them by the bemused kitchen staff in relative silence, simply enjoying one another's company. The hot soup had kept Anna warm throughout the meal, but now that it was finally gone, the Knight had begun to shiver.

"Are you sure you're not cold?" Elsa asked skeptically.

"I'm fine," Anna repeated. "Still, if you're so concerned about the cold, how about you warm me up?" Without waiting for a reply, she moved over to Elsa before lowering herself to the grass and placing her head on the Queen's lap.

The Queen brought a hand to her lips, stifling a chuckle. "You're ridiculous," she noted as Anna's head settled upon her legs. It wasn't long, however, before she gently began to run her hand through Anna's red locks of hair. The Knight merely smiled, enjoying the warmth of her Queen's touch as she watched the snow to continue to fall around them.

"Before I forget," Elsa said after another few minutes had passed, "I have something for you." Stretching out her arm, she reached out to the picnic basket and pulled out a small yet heavy bag. She placed it on the ground beside Anna, allowing the telltale chinkle of the coins inside to reveal its content.

Anna's eyes widened. Keeping her head in Elsa's lap, she reached over and picked up the bag as the Queen resumed stroking her hair. Judging by the size of the coins inside and the weight of the bag, it was a considerable amount of money. "What's this for?"

The Queen smiled. "You've been working as my personal attendant for several months now, and as a Knight of Arendelle, you're entitled to receive a small sum four times a year. Arendelle does make it a point to pay the servants of the crown, you know."

Biting her lip, the Knight cocked her head in confusion. "I know that," she replied. "But I thought that was already accounted for. I mean, you know, the food, clothes, and everything else I get...isn't that technically my pay?" she questioned.

"Of course not. Working as an attendant and a Knightly pension wouldn't be nearly enough to pay for everything you use-" Elsa stopped suddenly as she saw Anna's face fall. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean it that way. You're not a burden; you know I don't think of you that way," she continued, guilt plain in her voice.

The Knight nodded uncertainly. "I know. But still, that means, everything I have...it's all been a gift? I mean, I already knew it was, of course, but I thought some of it was officially payment for my employment. So, even officially, all of it is charity?"

Elsa's face flushed. "I...suppose you could look at it that way. All the expenses your upkeep has added to the Castle's maintenance have been refunded directly by my personal vault. It's not a big deal. The fortune of the Royal Family is vast; my ancestors started accumulating it centuries ago. And it isn't simply a mountain of gold sitting behind a locked door, benefiting no one. It's constantly invested and re-invested in various businesses throughout Arendelle, and thanks to some wise decisions made by my accountants, it's constantly growing."

Anna's eyes widened. She'd known Elsa was rich, of course, but the true size of the Royal Fortune was something she had never looked into before. "How big is it? she asked curiously.

The Queen shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. It invests in a lot of companies, and continuously gives some of those profits to various charities; it's constantly changing. It's almost certainly the largest in the country; more than enough to pay for anything you could ever want without even having to think about it. All my life, I've reimbursed the Castle for my personal living expenses; my grandparents started that tradition decades ago. Once you officially moved in, I simply doubled the regular payments."

She made it sound so easy. But however much money it was, it was paying for Anna to live a lifestyle equivalent to that of royalty. Elsa must have noticed Anna's bewilderment, because she asked, "That doesn't bother you, does it?"

After a moment's hesitation, Anna shook her head. "As long as it doesn't really cost you anything in real terms, I guess it's not a big deal. But...I have a question for you," the Knight prompted.

"I'm all ears, darling."

Again, Anna bit her lip. "Don't take this the wrong way; you know how much I appreciate you taking care of me. Still, I can't help but wonder...did you enjoy it? I mean, did you like taking a homeless girl and giving her a life of luxury? I'm not saying that I think you viewed me as some sort of project, but...you know..." she finished awkwardly.

Elsa frowned. "Anna...I hate the fact that you were homeless. There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish I could go back in time and save you from all that pain. But in a way, however, I did enjoy it. I want you to be happy. And it makes me feel proud to know that I helped give you a happy life, even if you've done more for me when you really think about it. Why? Was that the answer you were looking for?"

Anna answered that question by reaching up, wrapping an arm around the Queen's neck, and pulling her down into a long kiss.

It was several moments before their lips finally separated. "Anna," Elsa continued, "A lot of people think that I take care of you out of repayment for saving my life. And fine, if that's what they want to believe, it saves me from a lot of pointed questions. But they're wrong. I chose for you to be by my side because I love you. You've made me happier than I've ever been. That's why I provide you with everything you ask for...and a lot of things you don't. I'll always appreciate you saving my life, but even if you hadn't, it wouldn't change anything between us. Once I gotten to know you, I could never have let you go. If it makes you feel better to think of your life here as a reward for saving me, you're welcome to do so. But I don't. I'd gladly give it to you even if you'd never been forced to risk your life for mine."

Anna nodded, not quite sure what to make of her words.

"I never intended for you to become my protector, or my champion. I didn't fall in love with you because I thought you'd make a good hero. That's not why I want you to be at my side. You know that, don't you?"

The Knight smiled. "I do. You're so cheesy sometimes," she noted. "But that's what I love about you."

Elsa raised her eyebrows. Anna looked up at the Queen in puzzlement as she retracted her hand from the Knight's hair and placed her palm several inches above Anna's cheeks. She was just about to ask what Elsa was up to when a cold clump of snow materialized from Elsa's fingers and landed right on her nose.

"Elsa!" she protested, sitting up suddenly and hurriedly wiping the white powder off her face. "Who was the one who was just worrying if I was too cold?" The monarch simply shot her a bemused smirk.

"You'll survive. You know what to expect when you tease the Ice Queen."

The Knight scowled. For a moment, Anna was tempted to dart outside of their protective bubble, form a ball of snow, and hurl it at the Queen, but she knew that confrontation wouldn't end well for her. Besides, she was enjoying herself during this winter picnic, and a snowball fight with the Ice Queen would soon force her to go back inside the Palace and warm up. No, she'd have to get Elsa back later.

Sighing, she lowered herself back to the ground. "Forgive me, my Queen," Anna replied dramatically, as she maneuvered her head back into Elsa's lap. "I humbly request a Royal Pardon for my treasonous actions."

"Now who's being cheesy?" Elsa questioned. Anna opened her mouth to make a retort, but the monarch's hand hovered threateningly over the Knight's cheeks, and so Anna reluctantly closed her lips.

Her gaze wandered over to the bag of coins. "I still have to decide what to do with my 'salary'. If you intend to continue taking care of me, I guess I don't really need it." Elsa offered her a short nod in response. "Can...can I give it away? Would that be okay? I know it's weird to be giving money to charity when I'm technically getting charity myself, but..."

"Don't worry about it," the Queen assured her. "I think it's a great idea. All you have to decide is where to give it to. We can look into it once we're back in the Castle," she offered.

Anna hummed peacefully in response. That was indeed something they would do when they returned. But right now, she was content to simply sit in her lover's lap and enjoy the cold, wintery day.

"Way! Way! Make way for the Prince!"

\

October 8

Anna's eyes shot open.

"Way for the Prince! Make way for Prince Hans!"

She'd been sleeping at the edge of an alleyway, using a discarded box as a pillow and relying on the brick wall on her side to shield her from the snowfall. Still shaking off her sleep, all Anna could focus on was the sound of a carriage thundering through the road outside.

The sound reached a crescendo as the carriage sped passed her alleyway. Just as it zoomed by, its front wheel briefly dipped into a dent in the road. The impact sent melted snow in all directions.

Anna's eyes stung furiously as the dirty liquid splashed onto her face. Inwardly cursing every Royal who thought that the streets of his kingdom were his own personal playground, the thief slowly wiped the wet mud from her eyes. By the time she'd finished, the carriage had long gone.

Damn the Prince! Dreams were Anna's one respite from her wretched existence. She could never remember what they had been about, but the fading happiness and tranquility in her heart told her that she had just been in the midst of a very good dream.

It was always that way. Anna would go through the day struggling with her miserable life, then settle down for a few blessed hours of sleep. Her dreams, whatever they were, would fill her body with a sense of comfort that the waking world could never offer her. Once she awoke, that peace would stay with her for a few precious moments. Then the hunger in her belly and aching in her back would remind Anna of the realities of the world, and cold emptiness would come to dominate her emotions once more.

"A-Anna?"

\

It caused Kristoff pain just to look at her. Here was a woman once slated to be the Queen of Arendelle, a privileged resident of Arendelle's royal Palace and a hero in every sense of the word. Now, he could barely recognize her. Anna's clothes were worn and tattered; every inch of them was stained with something. The full cheeks and firm muscles that he remembered had long been wiped away by malnutrition.

Standing in the alley behind her, the ice-harvester took a deep breath. "A-Anna?" He could barely say her name. Immediately, she whirled around to gaze upon him in shock. The thief's hand hovered over the hilt of the small knife holstered on her belt.

"Who the hell are you?!" she demanded. He'd been hoping for signs of recognition, but there were none. It was just as Pabbie had said. Upon his return to the trolls, Kristoff had immediately informed them of Elsa's plan. Pabbie had been less surprised than Kristoff had expected. Her status as a goddess answered many of the questions he'd harbored about her magic.

The trolls were now resolved to oppose Elsa, but their magic was not combat-oriented. While they prepared what spells they could, Kristoff had gone to find Anna. He'd hoped against hope that he'd be able to help her regain her memories, and that Pabbie would then be able to find a way to restore her powers. The elder troll had been doubtful to say the least, but he'd eventually consented and given Kristoff a locator spell.

Kristoff grimaced. "I'm...we're friends, Anna."

"I don't have any friends," the thief scoffed. "And I certainly don't remember you. How the hell do you even know my name? None of the wanted posters in Arendelle ever listed it," she remembered. "And if you're here for the bounty, forget it. I'd sooner gut myself than be handed over to the authorities " With that, she pulled the dagger from her belt and leveled it at his chest.

"No! I'm not here for the bounty," he said quickly, desperation mounting within him. "I...I know your name because we were friends, Anna. You saved my life more than once. I know you won't believe any of this easily, but please...just hear me out," Kristoff added as her face shifted into an expression of incredulity. "Two years ago, you tried to rob the Queen of Arendelle. She spared you from punishment, and after you saved her from a kidnapping attempt, you came to live at the Palace. Eventually, you fell in love with her, and apparently she reciprocated your feelings. You met me and my...friends while trying to find a way protect her. Then-"

"I'm not in the mood to deal with a crazy person. Fuck off!" Anna interrupted.

Kristoff tried to step forward, only to be met with a threatening stab of her knife. "It's true. After she betrayed you, you gave up your memories. My friend's magic took them away. But now we need you back! Please Anna...remember me. Just try."

Anna took a step back. "I don't know how you know my name...maybe you heard me mumble it in my sleep. But I'm not an idiot. Just...stay away from me. I don't have any money, and if you're after my body...I'll gladly stick you with this knife before you take a step closer. Don't follow me or you will regret it." With that, she turned around and took off running.

"Anna!" Kristoff raced after her. "Wait, please!"

Kristoff was strong, fit, and reasonably well fed. Anna, at the moment, was none of those things. Yet somehow, the distance between the two of them increased rapidly. He couldn't catch her. It took less than a minute for Anna to lose him in the city streets. He came to a stop in another alleyway, leaning against the wall and struggling for breath.

Does she still have her...no, it's impossible. She wouldn't be this poor if she did. It didn't matter. He could find Anna again with the spell, but the result would be the same. Kristoff couldn't convince her. Next time, she might hurl her knife into his chest, and that would be the end of him.

"Damn it!" He lashed out, kicking a thin wooden crate near his feet and watching as the wood splintered into a dozen pieces. It brought him no satisfaction, did nothing to erase the anger and frustration consuming his heart.

Pabbie was right. His magic couldn't be reversed. For several moments, Kristoff simply stood in the alleyway, allowing hopelessness to overcome him. The trolls couldn't beat Elsa on their own. Anna was the only person who stood a fighting chance against her, and for that she would need her powers back. And the entire point was moot if she couldn't even reclaim her memories.

How had Pabbie described it? The spell of memory loss created a wound that could never be healed. Kristoff once again cursed himself for allowing Anna to go through with it. Perhaps, with time, she'd have been able to recover from Elsa's betrayal, and Pabbie could have restored her powers. At least that way, Anna might have avoided her return to a life spent sleeping in alleyways.

And that was only the start of it. If Elsa succeeded, the entire world would suffer. Humanity would spend an eternity suffering under the reign of an evil and invincible Goddess. Kale's sacrifice had come to nothing. Once she regained her divinity, Kristoff couldn't even imagine what horrors Elsa would inflict on the world. What would she do with the trolls? To him?

A blurring of his vision informed Kristoff that he'd begun to cry for the first time since Sven's death. He just felt so helpless. Anna was wandering around homeless and alone, Kale had died for nothing, and the remainder of his friends were about to be subjugated by an unstoppable Goddess hell-bent on domination. And he couldn't do anything.

Kristen's fingers reached up to his eyes, wiping off the tears that had formed. Scowling, he brought his hand back down to his side, noticing idly how the encroaching sunrise caused the moisture at the edge of his fingertips to twinkle.

Wait...the thought stirred one of his deepest memories.

There was something Anna had said to him long ago, during their journey to the trolls. At the time, Kristoff hadn't thought much about it...other concerns had proven more pressing at the time. But he hadn't forgotten about it completely. Growing up surrounded by magical beings had instilled Kristoff with both appreciation and curiosity where magic was concerned, and Anna's words had sparked that interest. At the time, they had been talking about Elsa.

"Her magic can heal almost anything...though not as much as Princess Rapunzel's," Anna said.

"Princess Rapunzel? Of Corona?" Kristoff questioned. "What can she do?"

"She...I mean...it's rumored her tears can heal literally any wound. No matter how serious, as long as the victim is still alive," Anna replied.

Later, after things had settled down, she'd described the Princess's magic to him in more detail. A single tear from Rapunzel could heal any injury; it had once brought Anna back from the brink of death after she'd been struck by an arrow.

His mind began to race. Pabbie always described the spell of memory loss as an injury of sorts; did that mean Rapunzel's magic would work to mend the wound? The elder troll said that nothing he was aware of could reverse the spell, but he didn't know about Rapunzel.

For a brief moment, his exultation evaporated as he remembered Elsa's claim to Anna: her entire family had been in on the deception. Then it came rushing back he remembered what Kale had told him. Elsa didn't plan on sparing her family from the suffering she would inflict on the world once she regained her divinity. If that was true...then Elsa's words to Anna had just been another lie. Perhaps the Coronan Royal Family were the good people Anna had believed them to be.

Kristoff couldn't be sure. Maybe Kale hadn't gotten the details right and Elsa's family was involved with her schemes. Or perhaps Rapunzel's magic wouldn't help reverse Pabbie's spell. Both of those things were very possible.

It didn't matter. There was a chance that they would be willing to help him, and a chance that the Princess's magic could heal Anna. If that happened, there was a possibility that Pabbie could restore Anna's powers. And, perhaps, there was hope that a restored Anna would be able to stand up to Elsa's temporarily weakened magic.

Kristoff knew it was a long shot, but he didn't care. For the first time in months, there was a path forward. He was going to take it.


	75. Fallen: Chapter 9

October 9

"My agents tracked down the patrons of the tavern Kale was spotted in," Evangeline was reporting. It had been a difficult task, even for her seasoned spies, to decipher Kale's trail, but just hours ago they had finally interrogated those who had directly spotted the general.

Elsa frowned. "What did they reveal? Did he meet with anyone before our men killed him?"

The spymaster grimaced. "Yes, and no. The stories of all the patrons we tracked down corroborate with one another; he didn't talk with anyone while in the tavern. After he arrived though, a man who had been sitting there for some time put down his drink and hurriedly left the pub. Kale followed him out immediately. No one saw where they went, or if the two of them even spoke with one another after they departed."

Damn. Dread began to worm its way into her heart. "Who was this man? Did any of them know him?"

"No," Evangeline replied. "Apparently, he kept to himself the entire night before Kale arrived. None of the patrons claimed to be aquatinted with him, and I don't think they were lying. They did offer to tell us what he looked like-"

"And how did they describe him?" the goddess interrupted.

Evangeline sighed. "Tall. Broad shouldered. Young...in his mid-twenties at the latest. Blond hair." She paused nervously. "Your Worship, you don't think it could be...the odds are astronomical..."

In a rare display of anger, the goddess slammed her fist on the wooden desk. "I think it most certainly could have been him," she hissed. "That's exactly where I would have expected Kristoff to be. In an out of the way tavern, keeping a low profile in my city and watching for any sign that might be preparing to move against the pathetic rocks that he calls family. The man your agents described reacted exactly as I would have expected Kristoff to do; he knows I would like to question him about Anna's whereabouts. If he saw a man he believed loyal to me, the first thing he would do is leave the building immediately. And if Kale recognized him, he would have followed...he needed any ally he could have gotten."

The spymaster's forehead crunched as she thought this over. "I agree it's a possibility, Your Worship, but it's far from a certainty. What do you suggest we do?"

"I didn't put up wanted posters of him after he helped Anna disappear; I'm not quite certain what the trolls are capable of, and trying to arrest their 'adopted' son would have been seen as an act of outright hostility. It was doubtful that they would, or could, have moved against me, but it wasn't worth taking such a chance when there was nothing but petty vengeance to be gained from it; I was willing to wait until my power returned. Now, however, I judge the risks of letting Kristoff walk free greater than the risk of possibly antagonizing the trolls," Elsa explained.

Evangeline smiled. "Very well, Your Worship. I'll have posters worked on and printed immediately. All available agents will be sent out in search of him; if he steps foot in one of your cities, we'll hear of it. Shall the Faithful be mobilized for an attack on the trolls?"

The goddess shook her head. It was a course of action she had considered, but directly attacking the trolls still wasn't worth the risk. Dealing with the pests could wait until her divinity was restored. "No. Not yet. Perhaps if there are further developments, but as of now, restrict your operations to Arendelle proper. Find the boy. No imprisonment or interrogation necessary; kill him on sight."

"As you command, Your Worship."

\

"You're certain about this?" Pabbie questioned. "It's possible that the Coronan Royals will imprison you the second they hear you're connected to Anna. Even if they do not, do you truly believe that they will come to believe your story? They've known Elsa for decades. Just because they are not part of her plot does not mean that they be willing to work against a close relative. How will you convince them about Elsa's true nature?"

Kristoff stared at the grass below them. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But I have to try. Without Anna, we don't have a chance against Elsa's forces. According to Anna, she and Rapunzel were close. Maybe she mentioned me to her, I don't know. If she recognizes my name, that could give me a bit of credibility. Besides, all I need to do is convince her to give me a tear to heal Anna. She doesn't need to believe me completely...she just needs to accept there's a possibility that I'm telling the truth."

The old troll sighed. "I've never heard of magic like this Princess possesses. Perhaps it could reverse my spell; I don't pretend to know everything about magic. While you are in Corona, I will try to create a spell that could restore Anna's abilities...difficult though it will be. Another questions arises, however: how will you get in contact with the Princess?"

Kristoff shrugged. "I'll have to improvise."

\

October 11

Selling some knick knacks the trolls possessed was enough to buy him passage on a merchant vessel destined for Corona. The trip from Hammerfest would take five days, during which Kristoff would be obligated to help around the ship, but he'd arrive in Corona's Royal City without any problems.

It was likely to be the smoothest part of his journey.

\

October 12

The door to Queen's study burst open as Kayla entered. Deep in a discussion, both Evangeline and Elsa raised their heads to look upon her in surprise.

"Your Worship, my lady, forgive my interruption, but it's an emergency. There's a report that just came in from Hammerfest; Kristoff was spotted in the city. By the time the sightings were reported to the guards, he was gone," she said quickly.

Evangeline smiled at the news, but her gaze lingered on Kayla with disappointment. "Good. But it is unwise to so rudely interrupt your superiors with news that could wait five minutes. Especially when one of those superiors is our Divine Empress."

Panic welled up within Kayla. "I meant no disrespect, I live to serve you, Your Worship," she dipped her head to Elsa. "If it was any other news, I would have been happy to wait for hours until you deigned to speak with me, but we do not have that much time. He was spotted boarding a ship that was headed to Corona; we can't let him get away!"

At that, Elsa rose from her chair. "Damn. He must have been the one Kale talked to. Kayla, I appreciate the warning, but if they left our shores yesterday, it's too late to catch up to him before they reach Corona's shores. Evangeline, send out Will and Enobaria after him. Tell them to avoid antagonizing the royal family unless absolutely necessary, but make sure they know that Kristoff's death is a top priority."

"Of course, Your Worship," Evangeline replied, bowing before hurrying out of the room.

Kayla frowned. "Your Worship...why do you think he's going to Corona? Does he just want to leave the country now that he's officially a target for arrest by Arendelle's government?"

Elsa shook her head wearily. "I don't think so. He'd stay near the trolls if that were the case. No. If my suspicions are correct, Kale told him everything that he overheard from your conversation with Evangeline. He's seeking out potential allies; he has no other options. Rapunzel's magic can't harm me, but the Coronan military-" she stopped suddenly, fearful realization plain on her face. "Rapunzel's magic," she repeated. "The one thing that might be able to...Kayla, we can't take any chances. It's time to put your abilities to the test."

Yes! "I'm eager to serve, Your Worship."

\

October 18

Kristoff couldn't help but be impressed by the Coronan Royal Palace. While it wasn't quite as large as Elsa's Castle, the architecture was just as impressive. Thick walls at least twenty feet high surrounded the mammoth structure and its surrounding grounds. Both the walls and the Palace itself were comprised mostly of light brown bricks that glinted like gold in the bright Coronan sun. Unlike in Arendelle, there was no gap between the city and the Palace walls. Only a narrow lane of grass that surrounded the Castle walls separated it from the city beyond.

A large gate of red metal in the walls was the only apparent entrance to the dominion of the Royal Family. A complement of guards were posted around the structure, clearly under orders to only allow those with official business through the Palace Gates.

There was nothing he could do but approach them and come up with a convincing reason to let him pass. If not, he could always go to Plan B, but that option would be a lot more risky.

Technically, he wouldn't even be lying. He did need to speak with the Royal Family, both for his sake and theirs. Hopefully, the guards on duty would be willing to at least relay a message to the Princess's attendants on his behalf.

"Halt. State your name and business," a guard prompted as Kristoff approached the gate. Dressed in a uniform more decorated than that of his fellow soldiers and speaking with a voice of experienced confidence, he was obviously their leader...and thus the man Kristoff needed to convince.

He'd mentally debated with himself how honest he should be. Anna was a wanted criminal back in Arendelle, and knowledge of her supposed treachery had surely spread to Corona. Kristoff would have to reveal to Rapunzel that he was (in a sense) here on Anna's behalf, but telling the same to this guard captain would not be the brightest move. Odds were that if he confessed to being an associate of a supposed spy of the Southern Isles, the guards would never let him inside. Once he was actually able to speak with Rapunzel...hopefully the fact that Anna had saved her life would convince the Princess to at least hear him out.

"My name is Kristoff Bjorgman. I need to speak with Princess Rapunzel. I've heard tell that Her Highness possesses magic that can heal any injury; she may be my friend's last hope. Would it be possible for me to meet with her for a few minutes?"

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Are you prepared to spend the next month in a prison cell?"

Kristoff's mouth gaped open. "You arrest people for simply asking for the Princess's help?" he demanded, utterly flabbergasted. "I thought Princess Rapunzel had a reputation of caring for her citizens."

"Oh, she does. If you were genuinely searching for a tear to heal your friend's mortal wound, she would be happy to help you and ask for nothing in return. It is her personal policy to heal the mortal injuries of all who seek her aid," the guard explained.

"I do!" Kristoff cried in reply. "It's the only thing that might save my friend."

The captain shook his head. "You can imagine the danger that the Princess's policy poses. Imagine how easy it would be for anyone to enter her presence if she answered every call for help? At best, all her time would be wasted by trivial injuries. At worst, Her Highness could find herself on the receiving end of an attempted assassination. The King was well aware of this. Anyone who seeks her aid for a grievous injury...and is discovered to be lying...spends a month in the dungeons. It's proven to be an effective deterrent. So I'll ask you again, why are you here?"

"I'm not lying!" Kristoff protested. Shit! Of course, it couldn't have been that easy.

"When you serve in my line of work for as long as I have, you tend to gain a better understanding of people. You're not panicking. You're not sweating at all, so you didn't run to get here. If you actually had a friend on the verge of death, neither of those things would be true," the captain shot back.

"It's not that kind of injury," the ice-harvester replied, clenching his fists in frustration. "Her memory has...she's lost her memory. A tear from the Princess is the only thing that might reverse it."

The older man didn't even flinch. "And how did your friend lose her memory?"

Kristoff hesitated, and the captain saw it. A story about a magical troll and his spell of memory loss wouldn't help him in the slightest. Gods, I'm such an idiot. He hadn't thought of an alternative explanation to Anna's predicament, and his desperate attempt to come up with one on the spot was easily noticed by the captain.

"Go. Now. I'd arrest you already if I thought you were worth the trouble." His eye glinted dangerously, and Kristoff knew he had no choice but to leave.

Plan B it is, then.

\

Kristoff wasn't a trained warrior, but that didn't mean he didn't have any skills. Ice harvesting was not an easy job, and he'd spent years building up his strength and stamina. Although he'd never trained to use those attributes in a fight, Kristoff had still picked up a wide variety of survival skills. Climbing had been one of them.

He'd known this would probably happen. It was never going to be easy getting access to the Palace, and the ice harvester wasn't surprised that he was going to have to sneak in. Grand Pabbie had given him a spell for that very purpose, contained in a small bottle at his side. It would decrease the amount of light reflected by his body and his clothes, in effect making him nearly invisible. It was beyond Pabbie's power to hide someone completely, but if Kristoff was careful, it might just be enough to allow him to slip across the Castle grounds and into the Palace.

Of course, first he needed to scale the twenty-foot wall standing in his way. Torches illuminated most of the ramparts, and Kristoff could perceive several patrols of guards manning the wall. He'd chosen his point of entry carefully. It was a significant distance away from the nearest patrol, and not well lit by the torches above. Covered by Pabbie's magic, Kristoff was confident he would be able to scale the wall and slip over it unseen.

It was time. First, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bottle. Undoing the cork, Kristoff took a deep breath before flinging the contents into the air. What came out of the bottle was a white mist; Kristoff allowed it to envelop him.

A glance down at his body told him that the magic had worked. Both his body and his clothes were barely visible; he looked so ethereal that he'd likely be mistaken for a ghost. In the light of the crescent moon hanging in the sky, one would have to be within ten feet of Kristoff before he was spotted.

He smiled, reaching into his bag and taking out the long coil of rope that he'd had the foresight to bring with him. Pabbie had said that his magic would last three hours...plenty of time for him to slip into the Palace and find the Princess. Then, somehow, he'd have to convince her to listen to him. First things first, he reminded himself.

The ramparts at the top of the wall were bordered by a tall ledge carved of hard stone. Every few feet was a small rectangular indent that existed purely for decoration. He quickly tied a knot in the rope, forming a circle large enough for his purposes. It would be just enough to enwrap one of the decorative wedges and give him a perch on the wall. Calling upon his years of practice, Kristoff carefully gathered the rope in his hands before throwing it at his target.

It worked! The circle he'd tied draped around the wedge perfectly. He pulled on the rope a few times, testing its strength. All the while, Kristoff glanced around, checking both the ramparts and the street he stood on for signs of life. Save for a guard patrol visible in the distance, there were none.

Satisfied, he began to climb. Despite his great strength, Kristoff's progress was slow. Going too quickly would create far too much noise; Pabbie's magic made it harder for people to see him, but it did nothing to muffle the noise he would make.

Deep in his heart, the ice-harvester knew how foolish this endeavor was. Although he was confident he could scale the wall without being seen, the odds of him successfully sneaking through the Palace and getting into contact with the Princess were long indeed. But what choice did he have? The guards would never let him inside freely, and without Rapunzel, there was no chance that Anna would be 'healed'.

And without Anna, there would be no stopping Elsa.

He was halfway up now, ten feet into the air. A fall from this height could potentially be deadly, but Kristoff felt no fear. He'd completed far more dangerous ascents hundreds of times. There was no chance he would mess up this climb.

Unless, of course, someone cut the rope.

One second he was firmly latched onto the wall, the rope in his hands firm. Then a loud SNAP cut through the air, accompanied by a cry of alarm from the ramparts above. Horrifying weightlessness coursed through Kristoff as he fell towards the ground. Any coherent thoughts...who had cut the rope, how had he been seen...were swept away by all-consuming panic as he hurtled towards the ground.

Then he knew no more.

\

Pain! Kristoff woke up to a throbbing in his neck so terrible he was amazed it wasn't broken. His eyes opened to almost pure darkness. He felt around clumsily with his hands, trying to get a sense of his bearings. All he could feel was hard, dirty stone.

"You're awake," a firm voice spoke out of the darkness. Kristoff, still not yet fully conscious, flinched at the sound. Now that his eyes were adjusting to the lack of light, he could faintly perceive a grid of metal bars suspended in the air in front of him. Behind them was the vague outline of a man.

He was in a prison cell.

"That was an impressive magic trick you pulled," the man...it must have been a Palace guard...drawled on with a feigned casualness. "Until a few hours ago, you looked so pale we thought you were a ghost. Or, we would have, if you hadn't been solid enough to carry back to the dungeons."

Kristoff winced. "How...how did you...?"

"See you? One of the more alert men on the wall noticed a vague motion out of the corner of his eye. Closer inspection revealed it to be a rope, expanding and contracting around one of the rampart posts as an intruder attempted to use it to climb up the wall. He crept towards it silently and cut it. Magic trick or not, your fall knocked you out for the last nine hours."

He was a miserable failure. There was no other way to put it. So stupid! Pabbie's magic had cloaked both his flesh and his clothes, but Kristoff had forgotten about the damn rope! He hadn't taken it out of the bag until after he'd already released the mist, thus ensuring that it would remain visible as he climbed up the wall. With the bright torches that dotted the ramparts, it wasn't hard to think of how a perceptive guard might have noticed a wide rope constantly shifting as a heavy man used it to haul himself up.

Kristoff couldn't be sure in this darkness, but it seemed as if the guard smirked. "I'd be impressed with your magic...if it wasn't for the fact that my Princess performs miracles on an almost daily basis. Instead, we don't give a damn about how you turned nearly invisible. But you will tell us why you tried to sneak into this Castle," he hissed, all pretensions of pleasantness completely gone. "Or you can rot in here for the rest of your miserable life."

He shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around this predicament. It was a disaster. Although he was technically in the Palace, Kristoff was farther away from the Princess than he'd ever been. They would never let him meet her now.

Unless he took a desperate gamble. Kristoff had one last card to play: the truth.

"I'm here for Anna."

For the first time, he detected a shred of uncertainty in the man in front of him. Kristoff knew how risky this ploy was. There was still a chance, that, as Elsa had claimed, the Coronan Royal Family had been involved with her schemes. It was also very possible that they completely believed the Queen's story that Anna was a traitor, and thus would view anyone who claimed to know her as an enemy. But he had no other options. If he didn't try this now, Kristoff would have a better chance of learning to fly than he would have of meeting the Princess.

If Rapunzel wasn't in on Elsa's plans, and she harbored some doubt about the tale of Anna's treachery...

"Anna who?" The guard questioned. All of his self-assured composure had returned.

Kristoff scowled in frustration. "Lady Anna! Knight of Arendelle, protector of the Queen? Savior of Princess Rapunzel and friend to Corona? That ring any bells? You ever hear of the woman who saved your beloved Princess's life? Twice."

Now with his eyes fully attuned to the darkness, Kristoff could see the guard's mouth gape open. "Yes...of course I have," he replied. "I've also heard that was a traitor and a spy for the Southern Isles. She was no friend of Corona."

"It was all a lie!" Kristoff shot back. "She never betrayed Queen Elsa. Elsa bet..." Then he stopped. This guard might be willing to hear him out about Anna, but he would never believe that Elsa was, well, an evil Goddess. Best to save that for later.

Instead, he continued. "That story about her treachery was all a lie, concocted by enemies of the Queen in order to weaken her defenses. Anna was so crushed by what happened...Elsa believing the stories...that she went to some friends of mine who removed her memories with magic. The same friends who gave me a spell to make me invisible. Now she's out there, cold and hungry and alone...and we need her back. Rapunzel's magic might be the only thing that could reverse it. Please...I just need to speak with her for a minute."

For a moment, the guard stared at him intensely, and Kristoff felt a shred of hope.

Then he shook his head. "I don't have time for ridiculous stories," he said firmly. "If you want to play the fool, then by all means continue. Hopefully when I return tomorrow you're feeling a little more truthful. If not...then enjoy your stay."

The guard walked off. Kristoff stared after him, feeling more helpless than ever. All that careful planning...it'd been destroyed by a single careless mistake. He'd rot in here until Elsa's magic covered the world, and then it would be too late for him.

It would be too late for everyone.


	76. Fallen: Chapter 10

"You've got company."

Kristoff shut his eyes as a painful ray of light came into the room. He could hear two sets of footsteps approaching, one of them far more reluctant than the other. A loud creak split through the air as the door of the cell next to Kristoff's was thrown open.

"Hey, watch the...oof!" The voice of a young man protested as he was roughly shoved to the floor of the newly opened cell. Kristoff's eyes blinked open just in time to watch the door slam open, trapping the dungeon's most recent prisoner inside. In a flash, the man was on his feet again, yelling at the guard.

"I didn't do it, honestly! I wasn't even near the foyer when it happened; if you'd just let me explain-"

The guard let out a single, harsh laugh. "I have two witnesses implicating you as the sole culprit. You'll have a chance to state your side of the story soon enough, but for now you'll spend some time with your new best friend," he said, nodding towards Kristoff. "You two enjoy yourselves." And with that, he turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him and plunging the two remaining men into almost complete darkness.

"Well," the new prisoner noted dryly, "He was friendly."

Kristoff's eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on the new arrival. Even though they were only feet apart from one another and separated by nothing more than a wide grid of metal bars, there was so little light that the ice harvester could perceive nothing more than the vague silhouette of a slim man.

"So, what are you in for?" the silhouette asked.

Kristoff sighed. "It's a long story," he replied. Understatement of the century."You first. Let me guess, guards caught you stealing something? I'm sure you're completely innocent," he noted sarcastically.

"I am," the man replied firmly. "The name's Merek," he introduced himself. "I've been working in this Castle for seven years now; I always kept my head down, never caused any trouble. Then, the other day, a decorative crystal goblet is stolen out of the foyer. A young maid is knocked out during the theft. She wakes up and names me as the one who did it."

"And why would she do that?" Kristoff questioned.

Merek shrugged. "Beats me. She was always a brat, but I've never had any real problems with her. I don't know why she's setting me up for this crime; maybe she did it herself, I'm not sure. Anyway, I didn't do it. Sure, I've nicked a few things once or twice...everyone has...but I'd never hurt a thirteen year old girl. Even if she is a little bitch."

"I'm sure," Kristoff replied. He honestly could not care less about this man's problems...not while an evil Goddess was months away from remaking the entire world in her twisted image.

"Alright, you've got my story; now it's your turn."

The ice harvester shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me. And I wouldn't blame you. I'm not in the mood to be laughed at and accused of lying...the guards have already done that to me once today. Just forget about it."

"Lie or not, it could be entertaining. And right now, entertaining-" Merek's arms swept around the cell- "Is in short supply. So as long as it's not boring, I'd be willing to listen to pretty much anything at the moment."

"Well, it's definitely not boring," Kristoff answered. Might as well tell him, he thought to himself. There was nothing to lose, and it would help to pass the time. If nothing else, telling his story would get Merek to stop pestering him.

He took a deep breath. "You ever heard of Lady Anna?" he asked Merek.

"Course I have. It's the most interesting story since the return of the Lost Princess herself. It seemed like something straight out of a fairy tale- a thief wins the Queen of Arendelle's heart, saves her life, and rescues our own Princess twice along the way. Except for the ending, obviously, wherein it turns out that the thief was an undercover agent of a rival kingdom all along. Why, you know her?" Merek questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, I do," Kristoff shot back, making Merek's silhouette start in surprise. "I met her when she was on a mission for the Queen...not that I knew that right away. She'd heard rumors of a magical...tribe that lived in the mountains of Arendelle, a tribe that just so happened to adopt me when I was young. I offered to take her there. It was only after we arrived that I found out she was the Queen's personal guard...and lover," he noted.

Merek let out a short chuckle. "You know, ordinarily this would be the part where I started laughing at you. But since I've seen my Princess bring someone back from the brink of death firsthand, I'm willing to believe quite a bit. Continue," he said with a brief wave of his hand.

"Anna was...is...an amazing woman. I was there when she took down the conspiracy threatening the Queen. I've never seen someone so brave. Anna wasn't the smartest woman in the world, or the most sophisticated, but she was kinder and more loyal than anyone else I'd ever known. And she was an excellent fighter," he added as an afterthought.

"Loyal, yes, but not to the Queen of Arendelle," Merek interrupted.

BANG! Kristoff slammed his hand against the bars. "She was! Anna never betrayed Queen Elsa. Soon after Anna took down the conspiracy, Elsa proposed to her. They were set to be married...Anna was thrilled. And then, one night, she turned up at my shop bloodied and broken. Elsa had betrayed her. Their entire relationship had been a ruse by the Queen, both because she wanted Anna as a protector and for her own sick amusement. She attacked Anna, kicked her ass, and then locked her up in a dungeon cell before spreading that stupid story about her being a spy."

For the first time, Merek seemed truly rattled. "That doesn't sound like the Queen Elsa I've heard of," he said, his voice somewhat shaky.

"I was just as surprised as you are. I couldn't believe it when Anna told me. But no one except Elsa herself could have beaten Anna in a fight, or emotionally devastated her so badly. She asked me to take her to my...tribe, and when we were there she told us that she wanted to all lose her memories of the time she spent with Elsa," he continued.

"And did she?" Merek asked intently.

"Yeah," Kristoff replied. "I tried to stop her, but nothing I said could convince her otherwise. She went to go live in the Southern Isles so she wouldn't draw Elsa's wrath upon the tribe, and ever since then she's been homeless again."

"Gods," the other man breathed.

Kristoff shot him a pitied glance. "It gets worse. Way worse. I was in the city about a week ago when I ran into General Kale, Elsa's top military advisor. I'd met him the night Anna defeated the conspiracy. He'd told me he'd overheard some of Elsa's servants talking. It turns out that she's a lot more dangerous than a petty and vindictive Queen. Apparently, she's a Goddess reincarnated from thousands of years ago, who once engineered a conflict between her fellow Divines and stepped in to rule the world after they'd fallen. She treated mankind terribly, and they eventually dispersed her essence with some kind of spell. Now that she's been reborn, Elsa intends to complete a ritual designed to return her full powers before using them to gain control over the entire world…and punish humanity for overthrowing her."

A moment of silence followed. "That's not possible," Merek said firmly.

"I didn't believe it at first either," Kristoff said, "But it explains a lot of things. Elsa's ridiculously powerful magic, the conspiracy against her, why she turned against Anna when she did. Kale was killed right after he told me; Elsa's minions hunted him down. He said that preparing for the ritual has weakened Elsa's powers. Anna might be the only woman capable of stopping her; that's why I'm here. And Princess Rapunzel's tears might be the only thing that can bring back her memories. I tried to sneak in and talk to her, but...you can see how that worked out."

Merek frowned. "What was your name again?"

The ice harvester frowned in confusion. "Kristoff. Kristoff Bjorgman. Why? I don't see what that has to do with anything." If this smart-ass had wanted to know his name, he could have asked it ten minutes ago.

"Yeah, she definitely mentioned you," Merek said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Tell me Kristoff, what do the trolls think about Elsa being an evil Goddess? Does Grand Pabbie buy this story?"

What?!

"How do you know about them?!" Kristoff demanded.

"Anna and Elsa told us everything about their adventures. The trolls were a pretty big detail...way too big to leave out." Merek sighed. "I can't believe everything you've said about Elsa, but you know more than enough for us to at least hear you out. My wife's been desperate for any news about Anna." With that, he let out a loud whistle, and the door to the dungeons immediately opened.

Kristoff's mind was whirling. "You...you're the Prince?"

"Oh, of course not. You think a Prince would deign to spend the afternoon sitting in a dungeon cell?" 'Merek' asked as the guard unlocked his cell. "Now, the Prince-Consort, on the other hand, well...it's hard to deny your pregnant wife a favor." Eugene noted.

\

"Where is Anna?" The Princess demanded. She was staring at the ice harvester with such intensity that Kristoff couldn't help but wither under her gaze. Prince-Consort Eugene and Prince Thomas herself sat beside her. They were meeting in one of the Palace's small parlors, Kristoff having been all but dragged to the room following his encounter with Eugene in the dungeons. He wasn't officially being held prisoner at the moment, but if the royals didn't believe his story, he doubted this day would end well for him.

Despite the gravity of the situation, he couldn't completely suppress the sense of intimidation that crept up his spine. Kristoff had met with royalty before, of course, but Anna had been there with him then...and there had only been a single royal in the room. Now there were three of them, and there was no friendly face sitting at his side.

Both of the Princes wore swords at their belts, but it was the Princess who truly commanded his attention. Despite appearing to be eight months pregnant (probably more in actuality, given how long magical pregnancies were known to take) and possessing a gentle, untouched face, Rapunzel carried herself with an air of authority that seemed to well exceed that of both her husband and brother.

"Your Highness...finding her is not the problem. The trolls have given me a spell that can locate her whenever I choose. But the Anna you knew is gone. Her memories of the year she knew you were completely erased. That's why I need one of your tears."

The Princess was silent for a moment. Then, finally, she asked, "Where? I've had men searching for her for months." The frustration in her voice was unmistakable.

"The Southern Isles," Kristoff answered. "Your Highness, she didn't want to be found. For the past year, Anna's been living on the streets in that backwater kingdom...just like she'd been doing in Arendelle before she met Elsa."

Rapunzel's eyes closed tightly. As Kristoff watched, a single drop of moisture slid down her cheek before dropping down onto the floor below. The most valuable magic in the world, wasted, he couldn't help but think.

"Our agents investigated the Palace of the Southern Isles, but the streets...is she-?"

Kristoff nodded. "Cold and homeless and alone. Yes. I don't understand why you're so concerned, Your Highness. Queen Elsa told you that she was a traitor, didn't she? Everyone else seemed to believe her easily enough." His sarcasm was palpable.

"I don't care what Elsa or anyone else believes," Rapunzel practically hissed. "I saw Anna take an arrow meant for Elsa. I watched as she stayed behind to buy us time against a hundred swordsmen. She risked her life to drag me out of a burning carriage. Anna is not a traitor!"

Eugene reached out, placing a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder. "Stay calm, sweetheart. We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise. If Anna's still out there, we can bring her back here and keep her warm and safe."

"You can't," Kristoff interjected, frustration now clawing at him furiously. "I thought you were listening earlier. Elsa's ritual is going to be finished in about two months. Once her divine power is back, nothing will be able to protect Anna...or any of us."

"I'm ready to believe that Anna is innocent," Thomas spoke up, "But Elsa...an evil goddess?" He shook his head in disdain. "I've known Elsa my entire life. She'd never hurt anyone unless it was in self-defense. There's no way in hell she'd attack innocent people for shits and giggles."

"I can't blame you for thinking that way," Kristoff replied, "But she's said to have ruled the earth for a thousand years before some of her servants ambushed and overthrew her. Do you really doubt that someone that old and powerful couldn't put on a convincing act for her so-called family?"

A sharp intake of breath drew his attention back to Rapunzel.

"I love Elsa. I've known her only for seven years, but I look at her as the sister I never had," the Princess intoned. "But...there are some things about the last year that can't help but make me think. Elsa accepted the thought of Anna's betrayal way too easily. Anna took an arrow for her. A spy would never have done that; it would have made sense for an agent of the Southern Isles to protect the Queen, yes, but not at the cost of her own life. And why would a spy stay behind to die against a small army? She had no way of knowing that David would spare her. When I was in Arendelle last spring, Elsa mentioned none of this to me. She was upset, yes, but she'd completely accepted Anna's treachery."

Eugene stared at his wife. "You're not saying you actually believe this story, are you? Elsa's your cousin. She'd never betray..."

"Don't talk to me about betrayal, Eugene," Rapunzel snapped, prompting both Princes to flinch in shock. "I lived with a woman pretending to be my mother for eighteen years! Even though she wouldn't let me leave that tower, I never doubted that she loved me. Not until you showed up. Love can be faked; Gothel proved that to me."

"You told me about the night you were attacked in Arendelle," Thomas asserted. "Elsa was crying for you to save Anna; why would she do that if she didn't care about her?"

Kristoff caught the Prince's attention with a loud grunt. "Elsa needed Anna to serve as protection from Drell's conspiracy. Her life was valuable to Elsa at that point. Plus, pretending to be so upset about her impending death was a great way to settle the deception."

Thomas frowned, but no counter-argument issued from his lips.

"Elsa wanted to keep us away from Arendelle," Rapunzel mused. "She said in her letter that her powers were acting up because her emotions were out of control; it wasn't safe for us to be around her. And yet, when I came there, not one snowflake appeared out of midair. She never showed any concern that her powers might hurt me; it wasn't mentioned once. Why would she use that as her main excuse to keep us out of Arendelle, and yet not even bring it up when I arrived?"

"Do you want Elsa to be an evil Goddess?" Eugene demanded. "You seem to be accepting it pretty easily."

"I'm accepting the possibility, Eugene," Rapunzel corrected. "Anna told me that Drell's conspiracy thought Elsa was a goddess hell-bent on revenge; they waited over two thousand years for her return. Maybe they were right after all. Look...I saw Anna do things that proved she wasn't a traitor. I've never seen Elsa do anything that would disprove this theory about her being a goddess. And why else would her magic be so strong? No one else we've even heard of has been a tenth as powerful as her. There's no record of magic in the history of Arendelle's royal family. It...this all makes more sense than I would like it too."

As the Princes pondered her words, Rapunzel turned to Kristoff. "And you. Anna told me plenty about her travels. You match Kristoff's description perfectly, and the things you told Eugene...there's no way you could have known them unless you were there. I'm sorry," she said sadly, returning her gaze to the Princes, "But this is too much to all be coincidence."

Sensing their hesitation, Kristoff spoke up again. "According to Kale, Elsa's going to make this world a living hell for mankind once the ritual is done. Her servants mentioned specifically that her family wouldn't be spared. We have two months to do something."

Rapunzel nodded slowly. "This doesn't mean I believe that Elsa really is what you say she is," the Princess reminded him. "But I admit that it's worth looking into. And even if it wasn't, I'm not going to pass up a chance to help Anna," she said firmly.

"You can't leave Corona!" Eugene protested. "The baby..."

"Who said I was?" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow. "I'll give you a tear; the magic lasts for two weeks, plenty of time to make it to the Southern Isles. We can't go to my parents with this; they'd never believe there was a chance Elsa could be...you know."

Eugene nodded in agreement. "We can't ask any soldiers to go. And, no offense, Kristoff, but we can't just leave this up to you. I'll go. We'll leave tonight on the Royal Sloop. That should get us there in a few days. Two men can crew it with some difficulty."

"And three men can do it easily," Thomas interjected. "I can't say I trust you," he looked at Krsitoff, "But I do trust my baby sis. If you think there's a chance that this story is true...I want to see it for myself. And three swords are better than two."

The ice harvester shook his head. "It's more like two swords are better than one. I'm not a fighter," he noted.

Rapunzel shrugged. "According to the doctors, I'm not due for another three months, judging by the speed of baby's development so far" the Princess said. "You'll have plenty of time to make it back. My parents will be furious, but it's always better to ask forgiveness than permission."

Kristoff couldn't believe it had been so easy. Then again, considering the history these three shared, perhaps nothing was truly unthinkable. Was an evil goddess for a cousin that much more unbelievable than a false more who had kidnapped a Princess to hoard her magical hair?

Sometimes, he wished life were a lot simpler.

And yet, the ice-harvester couldn't help but feel a fierce swell of exultation rise up within him. They would get to Anna easily enough. If that tear worked, and Pabbie were able to return her powers…the world just might have a chance.


	77. Fallen: Chapter 11

October 19

By the time the three men had set off for the harbor, the sun was already beginning to set. Worse still, they wouldn't actually be able to leave the country until the next morning. The tides simply would not permit their ship to cast off for several hours, and no measure of sailing skill would be enough to change that. All they would be able to do tonight was stock the Royal Sloop with some provisions and prepare it for the journey ahead.

The delay infuriated Kristoff. He understood the reasoning behind it, of course, but the knowledge that they would be wasting twelve hours was enough to fill his heart with rage. With every second that passed, Elsa grew closer to unleashing her ritual. The ice-harvester couldn't help but feel utterly impotent as he was forced to spend yet another night languishing in Corona.

It didn't help that his two companions clearly did not feel the same sense of urgency. There was no fear in their eyes...no awareness that this journey represented the world's last hope. Although they had agreed to investigate the matter once they arrived on the Northern Continent, neither Eugene nor Thomas had accepted that Elsa was a vengeful goddess. They might have believed that Kristoff was being honest, but that didn't mean they thought he was right. Both Princes viewed this mission as a chance to assist Anna and discover the truth behind her 'betrayal' of Elsa, nothing more.

Their ignorance would give them bliss...until the goddess returned and shattered their lives with a wave of her hand.

\

"That's it?"

Eugene glanced over at the surprised ice-harvester. The Royal Sloop sat in the water in front of them, chained to a small dock that stretched out from the harbor and into the ocean beyond. The ship itself was only fifty feet long, fitted only with a single white sail, and possessed no noticeable armaments. It was hardly a typical vessel of the Royal Family.

"Not what you expected?" Thomas questioned. "I'm not surprised. The 'Royal Sloop' is a bit of a misnomer. My father had a passion for sailing in his younger days, and his father saw fit to commission this ship for him as a gift. It was well constructed, but also designed to be small enough to be crewed by two men. My father viewed sailing as a temporary escape from royal life; he wanted a ship that he and his friends could handle themselves, without the need of royal sailors. Eventually, he passed it onto me, even though I don't share his love of the sea. Still, he thought that sailing was a skill that every Prince should have."

"Unfortunately," Eugene agreed, remembering his own training. The King had insisted, and Eugene hadn't yet been comfortable in his royal trappings to refuse. Learning how to manage a ship had not been an enjoyable experience, but at least now it looked like it was about to come in handy.

The King's passion for sailing had made it all too easy for Thomas and Eugene to claim that they were about to embark on a fishing trip the next day; it gave them the perfect cover to be fitting the ship with provisions. Of course, the King and Queen believed they would be back within twenty-four hours. Eugene didn't envy Rapunzel the task of telling them the truth once they were sufficiently offshore.

Finally, they had arrived at the harbor. Unlike Arendelle's Castle, the Palace of Corona was not situated directly next to the ocean, and thus did not possess its own harbor. Although the Princes could have had guards accompany them and carry the crates of food and fresh water, neither was keen on the King and Queen learning of Kristoff's presence; the two would never allow Eugene and Thomas to depart if they were aware of their true destination. Finding out about the ice-harvester would only cause Marcus to start asking some awkward questions.

Thus, the only guards they encountered on their discreet journey to the Royal Sloop were the two that were posted at the gateway in the harbor that separated the Public Docks from the Royal Docks, which housed vessels belonging to the military and the Royal Family. Eyebrows were raised at Kristoff as he accompanied the Princes through the opened gate, but the guards posted in the harbor were housed outside the Royal Palace. By the time the questions posed by their lips about the Princes' unfamiliar companion became whispers that reached the King's ear, the three of them would be long gone.

The three men crossed the royal harbor, navigating their way through the jungle of crates that dotted the pavement between the gates and the docks. Eugene's muscles throbbed painfully as they stepped onto the docks, still heaving their cargo. With considerable relief, he reached the Royal Sloop and dropped his crate onboard, before stepping aside to allow his two companions to do the same.

"I hope that's everything," Kristoff muttered as he wiped beads of sweat off his brow.

Thomas nodded. "It is. The only thing left we need is the healing tears, which my sister is kindly trying to cry for us at this very moment. Hopefully, she'll have a batch ready by the time we make it back." It had been decided that, just to be safe, the Princess would give them several bottles of tears in case of any emergency. None of them, however, would help once ten days had passed and the magic evaporated.

"Let's go," Eugene said. "We could all use a good night in a feather bed before we set out tomorrow-"

A scream cut through the air. Eugene reacted instantly, reaching for his sword and searching for the source of the noise. No sooner was the blade in his hand than a second cry echoed through the harbor, this one accompanied by a heavy splash of what could only be water.

Kristoff stood nearly frozen; the ice harvester had no weapon at his side. Thomas, however, had also drawn his sword and now gestured back the way they had come. "The gate!" he cried. "Someone's attacking the guards!"

The Princes jumped back onto the docks, breaking into a run as soon as they reached the pavement. Unfortunately, they were only halfway across the harbor before two distinct figures emerged from the gate and started walking towards them.

There was no sign of the guards that had been on duty. Eugene readied his weapon, prepared for any sudden attack...only to realize that neither of the newcomers were armed. One was a man adorned with sandy blonde hair; he couldn't have been out of his twenties. The black-haired woman at his side looked the same age. Yet both walked with an air of confidence despite both their youth and the lack of weapons in their hands. Neither was dressed for battle. Save for a small leather pouch strapped to the woman's belt, Eugene couldn't see any hiding places for potential hidden weapons.

"Both of you, on the ground, now!" Thomas ordered, gesturing forcefully with his sword.

An amused laugh left the man's mouth. "Look Enobaria, an Ungifted who presumes to command us. I can't wait until this rabble are finally put in their place," he noted eagerly.

The woman- Enobaria- smiled at his words. "I agree, Will. Won't be long now, will it?" Both of them continued to ignore Thomas's command, slowly continuing to walk towards the two Princes. Less than fifty feet remained between them.

Eugene's mind was racing. He had no doubt that he was about to be taking part in a fight for his very survival. But before it began, he would take this opportunity to answer the question that had initiated this entire voyage.

"I'm surprised Elsa sent two children after us. She must not think we're really a threat. Or, is it that she's too much of a coward to step outside her Palace walls until her little ritual is finished?" he questioned. His voice betrayed none of his uncertainty or hesitation. These two certainly fit the description of the Faithful that Kristoff alleged were serving Elsa. Their answer to his question could definitely prove or deny the ice-harvester's claims.

Enobaria smiled, fixing her sea-green eyes on Eugene. "I'm sure the Goddess would love to deal with you herself, but she's got more important things to worry about. We're just here to tie up some loose ends. In a way, we'll be doing you a favor. Aside from that bitch who warmed her bed, the Divine Empress hates no mortal more than the so-called family she was forced to put up with."

Oh my god. It's true.

Any excuse his mind tried to come up with fell short. Was this all some elaborate hoax intended to turn his family against Elsa? No. If anyone wanted to break up the relationship between Arendelle and Corona, they would target their efforts towards those currently in power: Marcus and Lenna. Kristoff had never even tried to get into contact with the ruling monarchs.

"How did you find us?" Kristoff blurted, having found his way to the space behind the two Princes.

Will smiled. "We have sympathizers everywhere," he said as he took another slow step forward. "Ungifted born into the Faithful who understand their rightful place. We've existed for thousands of years. You don't think we have maids, cooks, and servants in every Castle on this continent? It wasn't hard for one of your trusted staff to get a message to us."

"Originally, the two of us were sent here to bring his head on a spike back to Arendelle," Enobaria gestured to Kristoff. "But now you'll have to accompany him. Your lovely wife too, of course."

Twenty feet was all that now separated the two groups. "Stop!" Thomas demanded again. "Hands in the air and knees on the ground. Now!"

Will and Enobaria obeyed his first command, lifting their arms and clearly displaying their palms. Yet neither of them made any move to fall to the ground. Even now, both of them were taking another step forward.

Alarm bells were blaring inside Eugene's head. How were these two unarmed youths so confident even when faced with a pair of renowned swordsmen? What had they done to the guards...had they left their weapons behind at the gate? And why were they so happy to divulge their plans and methods to three of their avowed enemies?

It was the slight anticipatory twitch of Enobaria's raised hand that finally led him to the truth. They're two of the Faithful. They don't need weapons! They're just stalling until they can get close!

Eugene dived to the right, tackling his brother-in-law and sending them hurtling to the ground. He was just in time. A bolt of electricity had emerged from Will's palm, careening through the air at incredible speed and missing the two Princes by mere inches. Their momentum carried the two men a meter to the right, placing them right behind a large shipping crate.

Kristoff wasn't so lucky. A powerful stream of water erupted from the pouch on Enobaria's belt. It hit the ice-harvester squarely in the chest, sending him flying back into another shipping crate. With a sickening crash, the wood splintered under the force of his fall.

Eugene spared a pitied glance in his direction. Kristoff was lying splayed out on the pavement, surrounded by broken pieces of wood. He was clearly unconscious, but to the Prince's relief, there was no sign of blood.

With a wave of her hands, Enobaria called the water back in her direction. Eugene only had a second to marvel at the sizable bubble of water levitating in front of the woman before another wave of Enobaria's hand coalesced it into a stream once again. The water slammed into the crate the Princes had taken cover behind, sending small splinters of wood into the air. For the most part, the crate held, but it wouldn't survive another blow. Already, Enobaria was gathering the water again.

"I've got voltage boy, you take the water bitch," Thomas ordered.

Eugene nodded. Splitting up was their best option; water and electricity did not mix well. Yet no matter how they went about it, the odds were stacked against them. Two master swordsmen against two magic users was not an even match.

Their one advantage might have been range. Most magic wielders Eugene had read about or encountered weren't capable of using their powers across significant distances. Elsa's ability to do so was one of the talents that set her apart from her fellow sorcerers. That was why Will and Enobaria had stalled as long as they had, having needed to get as close as possible before attacking.

But Thomas and Eugene had no skill with ranged weapons. Their only chance now would be to use the cover scattered around the harbor and get into close range without being blasted in the chest. It was a bad plan, but there was no better one available.

Just as Enobaria's next attack splintered the crate apart, Thomas and Eugene took off running in opposite directions. The Prince-Consort dived to the left, towards Enobaria, taking shelter behind a massive coil of rope as Enobaria gathered up her water once again. Thomas wasn't so lucky. With less cover available in his immediate vicinity, he was caught out in the open.

The Prince dodged Will's first blast, still trying to make his way to the closest cover available. Will fired again immediately, and this time Thomas had no choice but to block the electricity with his sword. It was a move only the fastest, most skilled swordsman could have managed. Thomas's blade swung in a short arc, intercepting the speeding bolt of electricity a second before it could strike him in the chest.

A grunt of pain issued from the elder Prince as the electricity traveled down his blade and to the guard of his weapon, but the hard leather wrapped around the hilt of Thomas's sword protected his fingers from the worst of the blast. By the time Will recovered from his surprise, Thomas had already ducked behind another crate.

Splash! Enobaria's next stream of water slammed into the coil of rope. The firm twine held, however, and Eugene was hit by nothing but a few moist droplets. Thinking quickly, the Prince put its sword back in its scabbard before picking up two sizable rocks that sat atop the pavement next to his feet.

His opponent was still gathering the water back to her. Seizing his chance, Eugene hurled both rocks at the magic wielder.

Enobaria's hands sprayed outwards. The water in front of her instantly expanded into a shield that interposed itself between its mistress and the two chunks of gravel. Neither rock was completely halted by the barrier, but the wall of water slowed down their flight so quickly that they harmlessly dropped to the ground at Enobaria's feet.

Looks like she can't freeze her water. But she can make it harder than it has any right to be. Probably has to do with being able to control its density.

The Prince tried to take advantage. He jumped to his feet and began to sprint toward another crate that offered a better position, but Enobaria was too quick. By the time he was halfway there, the wall of water had already reformed itself into yet another stream.

Eugene braced himself just in time. The force of the water still sent him sprawling through the air, but not as much as it had the unprepared Kristoff. He landed hard at the edge of the docks. For several moments, his world was consumed by the spasm of pain that erupted in his back. He tried to climb to his feet-

Enobaria was already there, standing several feet away at the edge of the harbor. As the Prince watched, a stream of water rose out of the ocean and promptly formed according to her desires. The edge of the stream coalesced into what looked like the tip of a spear, and Eugene instinctively knew that the hardened water would easily penetrate his neck at this distance.

"No!"

The Prince's gaze was drawn to the left. Kristoff, awake and back on his feet, was charging Enobaria. The water mage, having been fixated on finishing off Eugene was too slow to react. Unarmed, Kristoff tackled Enobaria with a mighty roar, sending both of them off the side of the harbor and plummeting into the ocean below.

\

I'm an idiot.

They'd landed right next to the wooden dock, sinking several feet below the water's surface. For a moment, Kristoff had believed that he had the advantage. Although not a trained fighter, the ice-harvester possessed enormous strength, and he used it to drive a massive fist right into Enobaria's gut.

Even with the murky water obscuring his vision, Kristoff could see his opponent's face contort in pain. Normally, such a punch would have probably cracked a rib, but slowed down by the water as it was, it had been enough to knock the wind out of the mage. Kristoff felt a surge of triumph as he prepared to land another blow. Not only was he far stronger than his adversary, but he'd also been the only one who'd had time to take a breath full of air before they'd plunged into the ocean.

Then he saw the grin on Enobaria's face.

The horrifying realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. He was fighting a woman who could control the very fabric of water. And thanks to him, both of them were now surrounded by the salty, murky liquid. Too intent on saving Eugene, Kristoff hadn't realized just how foolish his actions had been.

In his moment of hesitation, Enobaria's hand shot forward, palm out. Then Kristoff was tumbling backwards through the water at terrifying speeds. The current itself had turned against him; it now sought to drive his body away from the harbor and out into the ocean depths. He was rolling through the water so quickly that his dizzy mind was barely able to think.

The dock!

At the last moment, he reached out and grabbed one of the wooden underwater posts that supported the very edge of the dock. Already, he'd already been driven thirty meters away from the shore. Any farther, and there would be absolutely nothing to grab onto.

Kristoff resisted the urge to gasp for breath. He couldn't claw his way back. He couldn't move. All he could do was wrap his arms around the final post as the water continued to beat at him. Kristoff imagined it beginning to fill his nostrils and seep into his eyes. The wood began to drive splinters into his hands as the force pressing against him became more and more powerful.

All of that paled in comparison to his biggest problem. He. Needed. Air.

Suddenly, the water current ceased as quickly as it had started. Kristoff was beyond worrying about whether this was some kind of trap. He swam for the surface, breaking through the water and inhaling the largest breath he'd ever taken.

Exhausted, soaking, and still struggling to breathe, the ice harvester hauled himself onto the top of the dock. His eyes immediately flashed to where he'd last seen Enobaria. If she attacked him again, he was finished.

But there was to be no second attack. A growing cloud of red now surrounded the area where he'd first landed in the water. Swimming there was Eugene, a look of utter disgust on his face as he yanked his sword out of the water mage's back.

\

For an Ungifted, Thomas was skilled. The Prince managed to dodge most of Will's electric blasts, and those that he didn't avoid he intercepted with his sword. Each block of the electricity elicited a loud cry of pain from Thomas, but the heir to Corona's throne never dropped his weapon.

Still, this contest could only have one ending, Will knew. Thomas was desperately trying to flank him, but Will could see through his plan all too easily. His electric blasts kept Thomas pinned behind whatever cover he could find, and each time he managed to gain some ground, Will simply backed up a few paces and continued blasting. The Prince couldn't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, Will would get lucky.

It would only take one blast.

He glanced to the right, looking to see how Enobaria was handling the former thief...and his heart sank. Kristoff and Eugene were both standing at the edge of the harbor, wet and weary but still ready to fight. There was no sign of the water mage.

A fountain of rage erupted in his heart. Somehow, Enobaria had been overcome. And thanks to her incompetence, Will's death was now inevitable. He knew exactly how the remainder of this combat would play out. Eugene would join his brother-in-law against Will; they would work in tandem, trying to close in on his position. Kristoff would be sent off to gather reinforcements, and would soon return with a party of Royal Guards seeking to aid their Princes.

Will would certainly be able to beat Thomas on his own. He could probably overcome both Princes at once, as a matter of fact. But it would take time, and the Royal Guards would be upon him long before then. Against overwhelming odds, he'd be defeated, captured, and later interrogated.

That could not happen.

Luckily, he'd come prepared for such an eventuality. For a moment, he allowed himself to reflect on the disappointment that he would not live to see the Divine Empress's new world. It was the cause he had lived for all his life, and yet he would die two months before it became a reality.

But countless Faithful had lived and died in the past two millennia, knowing that they had no chance to see the Goddess return. Still, they had carried on, knowing that their actions would eventually allow their mistress to walk the earth once again. Will, at least, had been lucky enough to witness her magnificence in the flesh.

As Eugene and Kristoff approached, carefully using cover to avoid any potential blasts, Will was extracting a small glass vial from his pocket. It had been given to him before he'd departed Arendelle by one of the Faithful's best spellweavers, to be used only as a last resort. He stared into the glass, once again marveling at the bottle's contents. There was no liquid. The inside of the bottle was filled by a heavy yellow smoke, which continuously floated and waved within the small space available. Once it had more room...

Will would die instantly, thanks to his proximity, and for that he was grateful. A twinge of regret once again pushed at his mind, but the mage pushed it away. Even if he could somehow escape, his mission would be a failure. The Divine Empress had told him to silence all who knew the truth about her return, and for now that appeared to be the three men who currently opposed him. If Will fled now, he would never have another opportunity to kill them.

But with this little bottle, he very well might.

\

"Thomas and I will hold him off," Eugene was saying. "Get the guards; tell them we sent you. They'll be suspicious, they might even detain you for a while, but that doesn't matter as long as they send a party of men here to investigate the situation. As long as you tell them we're fighting for our lives, they'll get here quickly."

Kristoff nodded. Right now, they were making their way towards Thomas and Will, using the cover of the shipping crates to make sure that the mage wouldn't hit them with any blasts. Soaking wet as they both were, any attack would probably be lethal.

Just as he prepared to dash for the harbor's entrance, his eyes flicked over to where Will stood. The electric mage no longer seemed concerned with blasting Thomas out of cover. In fact, he seemed entirely too calm.

That was when he noticed the small yellow bottle in Will's palm.

Growing up with the trolls, Kristoff had learned a great deal about magic. He knew there were two main types of mages. The first kind were those like Will, Enobaria, and even Elsa and Rapunzel. They were capable of wielding magic directly from their fingertips at a moment's notice, with no preparation required.

Pabbie and the trolls were the second type. They couldn't directly wield the forces of nature. Instead, of channeling those energies overtly, they could manipulate them over a period of time. Given enough talent, practice, and preparation, they could create spells and curses of all types, in addition to conducting certain rituals. Much of this kind of magic could be sealed in carefully constructed containers, to be used when the time was right by any individual lucky enough to be given them.

The trolls, Kristoff knew, weren't the only ones capable of this branch of magic. Some humans were blessed with this power as well, although many of them never became aware of it. It stood to reason that the Faithful possessed several of these mages, using their powers to further the goals of their 'Divine Empress'.

Kristoff didn't know what kind of spell was contained in Will's bottle, but he didn't think it would be anything pleasant. Even now, the mage was reaching up, preparing to slam the glass container onto the pavement below.

"Get away from him, now!" the ice harvester shouted.

Eugene reacted in time. He'd noticed the small bottle as well, and Kristoff's panic had confirmed his suspicions. The two of them sprinted for a safer distance just as the glass smashed against the ground.

Thomas wasn't so fortunate. With the entirety of his attention focused on Will's electric blasts, he'd failed to notice the real danger until it was too late.

Sickly yellow smoke erupted from the smashed bottle. Within seconds, the substance had spread over ten meters in all directions. Eugene and Kristoff, barely escaping the vicinity of the blast, turned around to find half the harbor covered in heavy, yellow mist.

The only noise that accompanied the blast was a brief cry of pain from Will as his life had been extinguished by the magic. From Thomas, farther from the epicenter of the smoke's release but still completely obscured from view by the mist, there had been no sound.


	78. Fallen: Chapter 12

"More tea, Your Highness?"

Rapunzel nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Marie," she told the handmaiden appreciatively as the younger woman refilled the Princess's cup before placing the half-full kettle back on the table. Since her return to the Castle several years ago, Rapunzel had quickly grown fond of the beverage, and the Princess could admit to herself that she'd eventually developed an addiction to the warm liquid.

Right now, it was a welcome distraction from her current task. Thomas and Eugene would only need one tear to return Anna's memories, but there was no telling what would happen once they set off in their ship. Accordingly, she'd filled several small yet strong vials with a tear, each one mixed with a small amount of water. Unfortunately, the magic would only last slightly longer than a week. Once the tears evaporated, Thomas and Eugene would be on their own.

Not one to take chances, Rapunzel had stilled filled more than a dozen vials. Resting next to the tea kettle was an onion. Unpleasant as the sensation was, the Princess had learned long ago that the stinging sensation produced by being in close proximity with one of the vegetables was by far the easiest way to coax tears out of her eyes.

The thought of her magic caused the Princess's eyes to fall to her swollen belly. The length of her pregnancy had all but confirmed that her child would inherit its mother's magic. Overall, the knowledge pleased her. But magic never came without a price. At times, it was far more a burden than a gift. In conjunction with her conscience, it obligated the Princess to spend time each day raising an onion to her face. The tears she produced were shipped off to Corona's hospitals, and they often rescued the wounded from certain death.

Knowing all the good that her magic brought about was enough to comfort the Princess during the hours she spent in the company of her least favorite vegetable. Yet the burden of her magic went far beyond the menial labor it compelled her to undergo. Being royalty alone was enough to both make one a target in the eyes of some and be placed on a pedestal in the minds of the rest. Being a known wielder of valuable magic enhanced both phenomena to a startling degree.

Already, nearly two decades of her life had been spent in the clutches of a monster purely because of the magic she possessed. Even now, surrounded by dozens of Royal Guards, extra precautions had to be put into place wherever her safety was concerned. Many were desperate for her magic, and they would do anything to get it.

And then there was the other aspect. As a magical Princess, the entire population expected great things from her. Sometimes, it was as if they believed her to be the solution to every problem. Countless times she'd had to turn away those with minor to moderate injuries, even though she could have healed them easily, because to give into their requests would consume her entire life.

Rapunzel understood the reasoning behind that logic. But every time she declined a request for a healing tear, the disappointment in the eyes of the citizen she turned away stabbed at her heart.

It would be no different for her child. To be both a responsible Royal and a good mother, Rapunzel would instill a sense of duty and kindness into her son or daughter. Inevitably, they would end up facing the same dangers and burdens that the Princess herself now confronted.

Suddenly, she was tired of all this brooding. "Sit down, Marie," she said gently, gesturing to the chair beside hers as she spoke. "I don't think I'm going to be able to finish this tea on my own, and being pregnant hasn't made getting around the Castle any easier. Tell me what I've been missing."

There was only a slight hesitation in Marie's eyes before she complied with the request. Originally, the servants of the Castle had been scandalized by the overly familiar attitude of their returned Princess. Royals did not invite maids to sit at their tables. Even the Coronan Royal Family, thought to be fair and compassionate by most of their subjects, would not have partaken in such behavior.

But Rapunzel (and her lowborn husband) did. Having grown up virtually alone, she was eager for companionship and had little patience for the artificial divisions created by class. Her almost complete disregard of hierarchy had earned her more than one lecture from her mother, who herself was gentler with the servants than most Royals. The Princess had simply ignored her words, and eventually both of her parents had accepted the situation and allowed her to share her company with anyone she wished.

Having a daughter who was overly familiar with the servants was a small price to pay for having a daughter in the first place.

Marie slipped quickly into her seat. It hadn't been the first time she'd shared tea with the Princess. There were only a handful of servants trusted enough to be alone with the Royals without any guards in the room, and Marie was one of them. Given their somewhat similar ages, it was natural that she was frequently assigned to the Princess.

"Everyone is excited for the baby's birth, Your Highness. The announcement that it will possess your magic has only fueled their anticipation," Marie replied. Inwardly, the Princess winced slightly. Already, the expectations placed upon her child were enormous. They would only grow after its birth.

Rapunzel nodded, eager to change the subject. "It's been a long time coming," she agreed, absently running a hand along her rounded stomach. Pregnancies were never easy, and this extra-length affair had often stretched her emotions (and Eugene's patience) near the breaking point. "How are things down below? I assume the staff is getting on well?" Normally, the Princess was a frequent visitor of all areas of the Castle, but the extra weight on her stomach and the accompanying back pain had made moving about far more difficult.

Marie hesitated for just the slightest moment, but Rapunzel noticed it. "..Everyone is fine, Your Highness. There haven't been many foreign visitors this past month, so the workload has been pretty light.

"And how is Darren?"

The girl's face flinched clearly, and Rapunzel knew she was on the right track. It was an open secret that Marie and one of the younger guards in the Palace, Darren, were rather sweet on each other. The Princess knew that becoming invested in Palace gossip was not something her parents would approve of, but with her natural curiosity and desire for human interaction, Rapunzel had quickly become one of the most knowledgeable people when it came to the Castle's social scene.

"He...fell from his horse, Your Highness. Yesterday. I think he was trying to show off some foolish trick, and the horse wasn't having any of it. Darren managed to land on his feet, but he sprained his right leg pretty badly. I think...I think he was in a lot of pain. He'll be in the infirmary for at least a week."

Marie's eyes rose in a silent, reluctant plea. Rapunzel knew that the maid simply couldn't help but make the unspoken request. It was a natural reaction to turn to any potential aid for those one cared for, even if the kingdom's rules made it clear that the Princess's magic was only to be used in life-threatening circumstances. Rapunzel's eyes drifted to the small container on the other side of the room, where she had placed the dozen or so vials of tears that she would give to Eugene.

Refuse, and I fall asleep tonight knowing that a sixteen year old soldier is lying in pain on an infirmary bed when I could have prevented it. Help her, and I'm a hypocrite who obeys my kingdom's rules only when I feel like it...and I'll be a Princess who gives some subjects preferential treatment just because they happen to know me.

\

After Rapunzel reluctantly made her decision, the pregnant Princess had finally become stir-crazy enough to leave her room. Accompanied by Marie and two of her guards, Rapunzel began to walk towards the Royal Library, content to find a book and sit down to read until her husband returned to the Palace.

Unfortunately, that was not how her day was going to proceed.

They were only halfway to the library when heavy, frantic footsteps sounded in the hallway behind them. Rapunzel turned around to see another guard quickly approaching. His face was utterly pale.

"Your Highness," he began quickly, clearly almost out of breath. "Something's happened down below. A maid has been stabbed; we don't know who did it. She's lost a lot of blood. If she's not healed quickly-"

Her heart racing, Rapunzel hastily stepped towards the guard. "Show me," she demanded. "Now!" The Princess had left the vials of tears she'd prepared back in her bedroom, sealed inside a small chest. Judging by the desperate tone of the guard, this maid did not have long. If she wanted to heal her as quickly as possible, Rapunzel would have to go herself.

"O-of course, Your Highness. This way!"

She started after the man, still followed by Marie and her two Royal Guards. All had their reasons for accompanying her. With an attacker loose within the Castle, the Princess's two protectors would have to be especially vigilant in the coming hours; leaving their charge's side was out of the question. Marie, on the other hand, was certainly anxious about the fate of her fellow maid. It was very possible that one of her friends had been the one wounded.

Their path took them down several flights of stairs and into an out-of the way hallway. Situated in the center of the passageway was the wounded maid, lying face-up on the carpet. Next to her stood another guard prepared to act should the attacker return, as well as two other members of the staff who were addressing the wound as best they could.

"Back away. Make way for the Princess!"

The distraught looks in the maid's impromptu nurses quickly gave way to relief as they saw their magical Princess standing before them. Hurriedly, they rose to their feet and gave Rapunzel ample room to see to her patient.

"Celia!" A strangled cry erupted from Marie, the young servant having brought up the rear.

Rapunzel fell to her knees beside the wounded maid. She was quite young, certainly no older than fifteen. The Princess barely recognized her, which meant that she was not one of the servants regularly assigned to the Royal Family's apartments. Unsurprising, given her age. Her bright blond hair, probably once vibrant and pristine, was now mattered with scarlet red.

Even though she was prepared for it, the sight of the wound still sent a jolt of shock down Rapunzel's spine. Celia's shirt had been all but ripped open. A large gash marred the area just below her right shoulder, allowing blood to continuously sprout to the surface of her skin before flowing onto the carpet below.

Yet despite the gruesomeness of the scene, the sight allowed Rapunzel a measure of relief. Judging by its size and location (Rapunzel had become rather knowledgeable about such matters over the years), the wound was not a fatal one. Or, at least, it shouldn't have been. Celia's weak yet gasping breath were reminiscent of injuries far more threatening than this one.

Of course, Rapunzel did not know everything about this subject. Perhaps the attacker's dagger had struck a large artery. Either way, it was imperative that the Princess acted quickly.

Leaning over Celia, the Princess forced herself to focus on the pain the young maid was certainly experiencing. She allowed the natural grief and sorrow spawned by such thoughts to overcome her, knowing that her natural reaction would be...

A single tear coalesced in Rapunzel's eye before dropping gently to the wound below. The small drop of moisture was almost invisible to the eyes, but the effect was instantaneous. Immediately, a golden glow began to surround the shoulder wound. The light illuminated muscle fibers rapidly sticking back together, new blood cells replacing those that had been lost, and the creation of new skin tissue.

Five seconds later, it was over. The new flesh had covered the wound. Except for the drying blood on her body and the ripped shirt, Celia was fully recovered. The young maid was now breathing heavily underneath Rapunzel, taking in as much oxygen as possible.

"Who did this to you?" Rapunzel questioned gently yet firmly. Now that Celia was safe, their next priority was to find her attacker before he could strike again. What kind of monster entered a Castle only to strike down a random servant? There was nothing to gain from such a random act of cruelty.

Celia glanced up at her, a light of triumph in her eyes. "I did," she said quietly. "It was the only way to get close to you."

The maid's fingers were reaching into her pocket now. Rapunzel's mind took several seconds to process Celia's words, and that was all the time the younger girl needed. A flash of metal and a scream from one of her guards were the last things the Princess noticed before her world became a haze of red.

Having extracted the bloodied dagger from her pocket, Celia plunged the weapon into Rapunzel's chest.

\

Marie watched in silent horror as her Princess fell backwards and hit the ground, a small blade jutting out of her back. The nearest guard sprang forward, lashing out with his fist and sending Celia's head slamming back into the floor. Then one man was frantically removing the dagger before pressing his hands down on the Princess's wound, desperately trying to stop the inexorable flow of blood.

Another guard dropped to his knees beside the dying Princess, leaning close to Rapunzel's face and moving his fingers close to her eyes. Marie knew what the Royal Guard was looking for, and for a moment the young maid felt a brief flair of hope. But as the panic continued to grow on the man's face, Marie realized that another tear was not going to be found.

Celia had done her work well. She'd looked up into the Princess's eyes before she had struck, making sure that there was no leftover moisture from her own healing. The stabbing had been so sudden that Rapunzel had fallen into unconsciousness instantly. Shock had overpowered any sensation of pain, preventing any new tears from forming.

The guards were doing their best to tend to her wounds, but too much blood had already been transferred from the Princess to the carpet. Nothing they could do would be able to so much as delay her passing.

Marie only had seconds.

She dived forward, falling to her knees before the Princess's prone body. The closest guard turned his furious gaze upon her, clearly preparing to force her away from Rapunzel. In their minds, she could very well have been Celia's co-conspirator. Her mouth tried to form words protesting her innocence and imploring them to let her close to the Princess, but fear and shock made such a task impossible.

The guard's hand reached out towards her, and Marie did the only thing she could. Ordinarily, he would have been able to overpower her effortlessly, but the majority of his attention was still on the Princess, and anger and grief had dulled his reflexes. Marie, on the other hand, was fueled by adrenaline and a sense of purpose. Her elbow lashed out, hitting the guard in the jaw and forcing him back several inches.

She'd bought herself two seconds. In the time it took for him to recover and the other guards to react to her action, the young maid extracted something from her pocket: the one thing that might be able to save her Princess.

The vial she'd given Marie for Darren's injury.

Her fingers tightened around the bottle's cork before throwing it to the side as quickly as her arm could manage. She leaned over Rapunzel, bringing the opened vial over her wound before turning it around and allowing the liquid to flow over the fatal injury.

\

Halfway to the chambers he shared with his wife, Eugene had heard the sound of screams echoing from one of the side corridors. Part of him wanted to ignore the commotion and continue to his wife's bed, before he realized that Rapunzel was likely to have been drawn to the disturbance. Pregnant or not, Corona's Princess was not one to ignore situations in which her people were threatened.

What he found was a small but growing crowd of guards and staff members surrounding a scene on the floor. Eugene elbowed his way through the onlookers to see his wife lying on the carpet, surrounded by a pool of blood.

For a single moment, Eugene's world became a maelstrom of grief as he believed the worst. But then his mind took in the fact that Rapunzel was breathing, her eyes were open, and the voices of those around him were emitting sighs of relief rather than cries of despair.

Eugene wanted nothing more than to kneel down next to his wife, take her in his arms and comfort her. She'd been badly wounded- that he could tell. It was only the calm reactions of those around her that let him know that she was now completely healed, doubtlessly thanks to one of her tears.

But his relief was short lived as he remembered the fate of Corona's other Royal child.

With one hand, he pulled his stunned wife to her feet. With the other, he seized the shoulder of the nearest Royal Guard before rounding upon him. "Take the Princess to the Royal Harbor! Now!"

The man's voice came out in a shocked sputtering. "Y-Your Highness, there's been an a-attack! We must keep you all here until the situation is stabilized! W-Why would we take her through the city in this moment of-"

"Because your Prince is dying."

His voice was so certain and yet so furious that the claim was instantly believed. Rapunzel cried out in shock, turning upon him and demanding answers to a thousand questions that he didn't have time to answer.

"He's at the harbor. Next to Kristoff. Go!"

And then they were leaving. Rapunzel allowed the Royal Guards to all but haul her down the hall. Within minutes, they would be boarding a carriage and racing towards the Royal Harbor where the dying Prince was being watched over by a certain ice-harvester. Eugene ached to go with them, but for the moment, he knew that he would only slow her down.

His mind was already calculating what had to be done, and he knew that if he didn't take care of certain things now, their quest was already doomed.

\

"Thomas!"

Kristoff heard her before he saw her. His eyes had been fixed on Thomas's barely breathing form. The sickly yellow smoke had cleared to reveal the Prince prone on the ground, his body desperately gasping for air.

The ice-harvester had read about many kinds of curses, but few had been worse than this. The yellow smoke had literally burned Will's body from the inside out, entering his mouth before spreading incredible heat to everywhere it touched. His throat, lungs, and stomach had been incinerated completely.

Thomas had been slightly more fortunate. He'd been at the edge of the blast, and the Prince had almost reacted fast enough to close his lips before the smoke could enter. Almost. A small amount of putrid yellow gas had invaded his throat, burning his windpipe and probably scorching part of his lungs.

It was a horrifying sight. His throat and much of his chest were marred by blackening burn marks. If they had been external, they would have been excruciatingly painful, but not fatal. Yet on the inside of his body, the rapid swelling of his throat and the damage to his lungs had made breathing nearly an impossible task for the Prince.

He'd long since lost consciousness. Now his feeble breaths were barely pulling in air towards his burned lungs. Suffocation was imminent.

Kristoff looked up in relief as he saw the Princess approaching...and then received another dose of shock as he took in her bloodied and tattered appearance. If it weren't for the urgency in her steps and the magic he knew she possessed, he would have believed her to be seriously injured. Three Royal Guards were running behind her.

To her credit, she didn't ask questions. And neither did he. Kristoff simply stepped aside and allowed the Princess to kneel beside her brother. A tear formed in her eyes immediately. It wasn't long before Rapunzel was crying outright. Dozens of tears were falling from her eyes onto her brother's feebly stirring body. Into his throat, onto his chest. Any one of them should have been able to repair the damage.

Nothing.

There was no reaction from Thomas. No golden glow as the magic did his work. Kristoff watched the desperate, incredulous Princess process the fact that her magic was failing her.

All traces of the kind, dignified woman Kristoff had met were gone as the furious Princess beat at the ground in frustration. Behind her, the Royal Guards were staring at the scene in utter shock. Tear after tear continued to drop onto Thomas, yet the result was the same. The Prince continued his gradual journey towards death.

Then Kristoff understood.

"He's not injured," the ice-harvester managed.

Rapunzel rounded upon him, fury blazing in her eyes. "What do you mean he's not injured?! Look at him!" she demanded. "Stay the hell out of my way and let me save my brother's life!"

Kristoff shook his head. "You can't. Not in that way. I grew up learning about magic. He was attacked by a curse that the mage released. It's nothing like a normal injury. Your tears won't help!"

"Then what will?!"

"Legend says that the gods once worked to alter the laws of magic; they wanted anyone worthy to be able to counter malevolent spells. Ever heard of True Love's Kiss? Grand Pabbie even says he's seen it work once or twice. Lip contact between two people who love each other can break any curse."

Rapunzel stared at him, shocked at the incredulity of it all. "B-But Thomas and I aren't-"

"It doesn't have to be romantic love. Familial love works too. Hurry!" he ordered. It was the passion in his voice that stirred her to action. Trembling in fear, she seized the last hope that was presented to her and gently kissed the edge of her brother's lips.

A bright flash of light emanated from the point of contact.

For a few moments, his eyes were blinded. When they recovered, Kristoff could see that the burns Thomas had suffered were gone. The swelling in his throat had vanished as well, and the young Prince appeared to be breathing normally. Tears still flowed from Rapunzel's eyes, but now she was crying in relief.

Yet his eyes didn't open. Rapunzel glanced to Kristoff in confusion.

"He's been healed," Krisotff breathed, "But it looks like the curse sapped his body of energy. He was almost without air for ten minutes. And...curses aren't exactly an exact science. He'll wake up," probably, he couldn't help but think, "But his body will need time to recover. And I think it will have to be natural. I don't know if your tears will work."

They didn't. Several minutes were spent trying to rouse Thomas, both with magical tears and normal means, but to no avail.

"Your Highness," a guard finally interjected, "We really need to get both you and the Prince back to the safety of the Castle. This was a coordinated attack, and I doubt the maid was the mastermind.

Rapunzel's response was cut off by the sound of rushing footsteps. Out of breath, and with his emotions stretched to the breaking point by the day's horrifying events, Eugene bolted into the harbor. His eyes immediately lit up in relief as they took in his still breathing brother-in-law.

"He's fine for the moment," Rapunzel said as she embraced her husband. "But he won't wake up. It's probably going to take some time. What's...going on in the Castle? Is everyone-"

Eugene sighed. "No more attacks. I interrogated that maid briefly, but she didn't tell me anything...useful," he said, a slight hesitation apparent in his voice. "By now, your parents have certainly been informed, and that means-" He turned to the Royal Guards. "Take Thomas back to the Palace, put him in the medical wing. Don't wait for us."

"Your Highness, we cannot abandon you-"

"That was an order, Sergeant," Eugene hissed. Rapunzel nodded in confirmation with her husband's command. The guards stared at them. Kristoff wasn't sure if they were shocked more by the order or the fact that it had been delivered in such a curt, biting tone by the Prince, but they reluctantly began to obey.

Once they were out of earshot, Eugene continued. "If we stay here, Marcus will never let us leave. The Palace will become a virtual prison. By the time he's investigated the situation, Elsa will be long done with her ritual."

Rapunzel nodded. Kristoff didn't. "How?! This was a coordinated attempt to murder the heirs to the Coronan throne? There's no way your father could ignore something like this. He'd have to take action!"

The Princess shook her head. "Eugene is right, Kristoff. My father will take action, and that will be to increase our protection. He'll never believe that Elsa was behind this. He might send out spies and informants to investigate, but he would never consider invading without absolute proof. And we have none."

Kristoff had briefly dreamed of a massive invasion of Arendelle by Corona's troops and ships, but it was clear that such hopes were impossible.

Eugene turned to his wife. "Kristoff...was right. We were attacked by two mages. Their words confirmed it. Elsa is behind this. There's no way that they coordinated their message with Kristoff; they had no way of knowing we would even speak to him. And if he's telling the truth about that-"

"Then I'm telling the truth about the ritual," Krisotff finished.

"I found the vials in our room," Eugene said, pulling out a small chest that Kristoff could only guess was filled with some of Rapunzel's preserved tears. "I knew we'd have to leave right away."

"Will they even help?" Rapunzel asked, turning back to Kristoff. "They didn't work on Thomas-"

"Thomas was cursed," Kristoff answered. "Anna wasn't. She took on the memory spell voluntarily; curses are all inflicted against the victim's will. It's two different types of magic. I don't know that it will work, but it's still worth a try."

Eugene's eyes fell to the ground, and Kristoff had the distinct impression that he was on the verge of releasing tears of his own. "I have to go, Rapunzel. And I can't just give Anna a tear and bring her back. I'll have to stay and help fight Elsa, however I can. I might die. I'll probably miss the baby's birth...my own child, and I won't be there... But if we don't stop Elsa, there's no future for any of us..."

Rapunzel pulled him into a one-armed embrace, and suddenly Kristoff got the feeling that he was intruding on a very private moment. "I know...it's not your fault. I love you, Eugene. I know you want to be here for Thomas, for our child, for me…but Anna's going to need all the help she can get. Go fight for a world worth bringing our child into. Please, just...be careful. I can't lose you..."

Eugene faced his wife, his eyes distraught but determined. "I might not have a choice," he replied softly.


	79. Fallen: Chapter 13

Rapunzel had never seen her father so angry.

King Marcus was, by nature, a calm man. He could be authoritative when the situation called for it, but such moments rarely came to pass. The Princess could not remember the last time she had seen him raise his voice at a servant or a member of his staff. Mistakes made in his presence were usually met with nothing more than light chiding; he had once been known to instantly forgive a maid for spilling wine on one of his suits.

This calm attitude had, of course, extended to his long lost daughter. It was only on the rarest of occasions that he disagreed with her preferences, and even then he almost always acquiesced to her wishes. Rapunzel was honest enough with herself to admit that, at times, she had used both her natural charm and her status as her father's only daughter to help sway his decisions.

Marcus had, for example, opposed his daughter marrying within months after returning to the Castle. It was not out of any disregard for Eugene; Rapunzel's parents held the man in the highest esteem for saving their child. His criminal past was almost irrelevant. But her father had initially protested their early wedding, voicing his concern that Rapunzel's feelings might be the product of gratitude toward her savior rather than deep-seated affection that would remain and grow over time. The Princess had also suspected that her father, having been so recently reunited with his daughter, was hesitant to declare her a grown woman immediately and see her in the arms of a man several years her senior.

A few sad smiles and logical arguments on Rapunzel's part had settled the matter quickly. But today, they would not help her.

"Not in the history of Corona has a member of the Royal Family acted so foolishly!" her father was berating her. "An unprecedented attack against our family, and you decide your best course of action is to send your husband gallivanting across the ocean...accompanied by a stranger?! He could die out there, Rapunzel!"

The words made the Princess flinch, but she didn't let their impact show. "Yes, he could," Rapunzel agreed sadly. "But if he doesn't go, then we're all going to die. Elsa is going to turn us into ice statues the second she's finished with her ritual!"

Marcus's fists rapidly clenched and unclenched, and Rapunzel had the distinct impression that her father was trying to avoid slamming his hands into the desk below, "Dammit, Rapunzel! You actually believe that nonsense? I've known Elsa since the day she was born. You've been her friend for over seven years. Now you're convinced she's an evil goddess based on the words of a vagabond and two assailants who nearly murdered your brother?!"

The Princess stepped forward harshly, unable to contain her frustration. "Anyone can put on a convincing act, father. I thought Gothel was my loving mother for two decades! It explains so much...why Elsa has such powerful magic, what happened between her and Anna, and why she didn't want any of us in Arendelle over the past year. Kristoff, the two mages who attacked Thomas and Eugene, and Celia all said the same story."

"Obviously an act to turn us against Arendelle!" Marcus shouted.

Rapunzel shook her head. "Kristoff was only able to speak to us through the slimmest of chances. No self-respecting plotter would have gambled his scheme based upon him somehow making contact with me. The ones who attacked Eugene and Thomas nearly killed Kristoff; they weren't working together. And if helping me save my brother's life wasn't enough to win him my trust, then nothing is."

Shaking his head furiously, Marcus took a matching pace toward his daughter. "Enough! I refuse to entertain the notion that my beloved niece is a monster any further. My son is lying in a coma thanks to this ridiculous tale, and my son-in-law might end up dead thanks to your foolishness! You're confined to your quarters for two months, and if you so as much as try to leave, you'll be in there until your child has celebrated a birthday."

"Dad, please-"

"Out of my sight!" he demanded furiously, and at his gesture two Royal Guards stepped forward to escort the Princess to her chambers.

It was useless, she knew. Family was everything to her father, and he would sooner stab himself in the heart than acknowledge that someone he loved had betrayed him. Thomas's predicament only magnified his anger. Her brother's condition seemed stable, but he had not yet stirred from his sleep. Worse, the Palace's complement of doctors had been unable to alleviate any of the lingering damage to his throat. If...when he awoke, it was likely that the harm inflicted by the curse would trouble him for the rest of his life. Calm breathing would be possible, but any strenuous exercise would likely prove too much for his damaged windpipe.

Swordsmanship had been Thomas's passion. Now it was gone.

Celia had been all too happy to respond to Eugene's questions; she knew he was already aware of the truth about Elsa, and had enjoyed mocking him about the hopelessness of their situation. But when others, including the King, had visited her cell, the former maid refused to speak a word.

Thanks to the lead he had been given and the speed of the Royal Sloop, it was almost certain that Eugene would outrun the pursuers that Marcus had sent to bring him home. With any luck, the tears that he now carried would reach Anna by the end of the week.

A strange mix of frustration and contentment now rose within Rapunzel. On one hand, she was now helpless to act against Elsa's plans. Her father was sure to keep her strictly confined within her chambers, and even if she somehow escaped, there was little chance that a pregnant Princess with no combat training could make a difference against a reincarnated goddess.

And yet, she knew that she had done all she could. Marcus would never be convinced, no matter how long she argued with him. Everything that she could have contributed to this struggle had already been given.

But above all, there was fear. Fear for her husband, who now sailed across cold dark waters towards a vicious goddess who despised him. Fear for her brother, whose situation would remain precarious for weeks to come.

And fear for the child growing inside her, who would never have a future if Elsa rose to power.

\

October 20

"Not quite the same as climbing a mountain?" Eugene questioned.

Kristoff glared at him. Although the Royal Sloop could sail quickly relying upon its sails alone, the Prince had been adamant that the two men should row as well, in order to ensure that they would outdistance any pursuit Marcus might send after them. It was only now, with the sun having fallen well below the horizon, that Eugene had deemed it safe to rest,

His arms had all but exploded in pain. Kristoff was very strong, but the muscle structure gained through ice harvesting was not optimal for operating oars. And, unfortunately, pain was not the only worry on Kristoff's mind.

"Something wrong?" the Prince asked.

Kristoff's eyes widened in incredulity. "What do you think?" he demanded. "The odds aren't exactly in our favor at the moment. Somehow, we have to get Anna to drink one of these tears. Even if it restores her memories, we're still counting on Pabbie to be able to return her powers. Then we have to hope that she'll be able to defeat Elsa. There's...so many things that could go wrong."

Eugene nodded. "All true. Well, I suppose that if getting Anna back doesn't work, the two of us could always take Elsa on ourselves," he noted. "After all, it would be two on one, wouldn't it? The odds would be in our favor, technically."

It took Kristoff several seconds to realize that his companion was joking.

"What the hell?" he rounded on the Prince. "Do you understand what's at stake here, or has living in that big fancy Castle blinded you to the realities of life?! We're going up against an insane Goddess two months from gaining absolute power, we have barely any allies, and if she wins she's going to turn the world into a living hell."

Eugene's hand shot out furiously. The Prince jabbed his finger into the air, less than an inch away from Kristoff's chest. "You think I don't care?" he demanded. "Let me remind you of something. My wife is all but helpless, lying in bed with a baby only three months away. If we fail, my child will never even be born. Everything that I have...everyone that I care about; if we don't win I'll lose them all."

The ice harvester flinched, recoiling away from the angry Prince. "Then why are you-"

"Making jokes?" Eugene asked harshly. "Because they help me forget the shitstorm we're in. Yeah, I could sit around all day brooding like you do, but that wouldn't accomplish much, would it? A bit of humor now and then...it reminds me that there's still some light in the world, and that everything isn't completely hopeless."

With a sigh, Eugene leaned backwards, sitting back down onto the wooden deck. "I thought it was all over," he mused pensively.

Kristoff stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I won. Or, rather, Rapunzel and I won. We defeated the villain in her life and earned our happy ending. I got my redemption from my years spent robbing from every pocket in sight. For the past seven years I've been living in a Castle, married to the woman of my dreams and kept safe by a battalion of the kingdom's best guards. I thought...that was that."

"Then you did forget," Kristoff said softly. Again, the Prince's eyes darkened, but the ice-harvester continued before he could be interrupted. "The real world doesn't work that way. Just because you won a happy ending doesn't mean you'll keep it. And just because you deserve one doesn't mean you'll get it."

Eugene said nothing.

"Look at Anna," Kristoff continued. "Her entire life was absolute hell. She all but threw away her survival to save others...several times. And she was rewarded with everything she had ever wanted...only to see it taken away in the blink of an eye. Now she's right back where she started. Life ain't fucking fair, Your Highness."

"You love her," Eugene noted.

"What?" Kristoff's fists clenched tightly. "No, I...that's not it," he replied. The Prince's only response was a skeptical glance. "Look, for a long time, I was pretty dillusioned with pretty much every other person on the planet. I grew up with the trolls, and my initial dealings with people led me to believe that the only ones I could ever count on were Sven and my family. Anyone else wasn't worth trusting." Kristoff sighed, staring out into the slowly rippling water around the sloop. "Anna showed me I was wrong. That just because someone wasn't raised by rock trolls didn't mean they were rotten at heart. I saw her risk her life time and time again, and she never seemed to even think much of it. After seeing that...well I decided that it's worth giving people a chance," he paused. "Some of them, anyway."

Eugene nodded, and Kristoff was grateful that he didn't press the issue. The next words out of his mouth, however, were more than enough to re-dampen the ice-harvester's spirits.

"Do you want to know what that maid told me?"

Kristoff winced. "I suppose I should, anything we learn about the Faithful could be useful."

"I doubt it," Eugene remarked. "Celia was very happy to tell me all about the details of Elsa's ritual. The day of the Winter Solstice, the power she's gathering will be released in a wave that sweeps across the entire world. Everywhere it reaches will instantly become submerged in winter. But the worst part..." Eugene hesitated briefly, "Everyone that wave touches will be instantly turned into ice. Once that wave of power has encircled the entire globe, the wintery energies will become so potent that Elsa will automatically reclaim that divine power that was scattered when she fell the first time. With nothing else to interfere with the magical balance of the world...no life, no summer, no sun...there will be nothing standing between Elsa and the divinity she once held. As soon as it rushes back into her, it's over."

Kristoff suppressed an involuntary shudder. He'd known Elsa's ritual would be far from pleasant, but this was worse than anything he'd imagined. "Once it's over, will everyone turn back to normal?"

The Prince slowly shook his head. "Celia said...well, that Elsa will choose who is released. A significant percentage of humanity will remain trapped as ice statues, both as punishment for once having rebelled against her and as a reminder of her power to subsequent generations. All her enemies will remain trapped in ice, not dead but imprisoned forever."

Which, of course, included them, Kristoff realized in horror. He immediately decided that, if it came down to it and they were too late, he would stab himself in the heart rather than face such a fate.

"Rapunzel..." Kristoff began.

"She knows." Eugene's tone of voice indicated firmly that that avenue of conversation was over. "And Celia told me something even worse."

A spike of dread shot into Kristoff's heart. "What?" he asked with extreme reluctance.

"According to Celia, we don't have a chance. This was all preordained thousands of years ago. A young Seer made a prophecy about the Goddess's return, and apparently, prophesies are never wrong."

Kristoff nodddd. "I know. Drell said something similar the night we captured him. But he told us the wording made it clear that while the Goddess was certain to return, it wasn't set in stone whether she would succeed. It said: if the world was covered in her domain, her divinity would return. If, not when."

His teeth clenching, Eugene turned away to glance out over the water. "Celia said Drell's group had a version that the first Faithful altered. Apparently, the true prophecy says that Elsa will succeed; there's no uncertainty."

For a moment, silence reigned.

"Of course," Eugene added quickly, "She could be lying through her teeth. Or she might just be plain wrong. This prophecy stuff might all be a myth; thousands of years is a long time."

"I hope so," Kristoff said. "But so far, that prophecy has predicted everything right so far: the time of the Goddess's return, who she would reincarnate into, the deaths of her parents. If all that's come to pass, why wouldn't the rest?"

Neither of them felt like saying much after that, so Kristoff soon found himself sleeping in a hammock below deck as Eugene took the first watch. Despite the comforting lull created by the waves as they glided underneath the ship, Kristoff didn't find it easy to fall asleep that night.

/

October 27

Just one more hour, and these idiots will finally go to bed.

Anna's stomach rumbled impatiently. She was currently sitting at the tavern bar, sipping slowly from the cheapest ale available and glancing jealously at the steaming plates of food that the real customers were sampling.

Soon, most of them would be off to bed, and thus most vulnerable to Anna's thieving. An hour at most. She just hoped her stomach would be able to wait that long.

A cool breeze whipped through the lounge as the door opened. Two men, both thoroughly covered in winter gear (the first blizzard of the year was currently blazing outside) stepped in. They paused briefly, and Anna had the distinct impression they were looking in her direction.

Then the moment passed as they went to find some seats, and Anna chalked it up to her imagination. Consecutive days of virtual starvation didn't have a fortifying effect on one's mind.

\

"I barely even recognize her," Eugene breathed.

Kristoff's locator spell had worked well enough and, after several difficult days at sea, the two men had made a beeline for Anna's location. Despite his knowledge of all that had occurred, a significant part of the Prince had been looking forward to seeing his friend again. This reunion, however, was proving to be far more painful than he had anticipated.

It was one thing to hear that someone one cared for was living in poverty. To witness it firsthand was another matter entirely. Anna's clothes were all but stained twice over, and in some places only the crudest stitching Eugene had ever seen was preventing the garments from completely ripping apart. By far the most harrowing sight, however, was Anna herself.

It looked as if she hadn't in weeks. With sunken cheeks, pale skin, and a dirty mane of hair that had long since lost its luster, Anna looked almost nothing like the healthy and beautiful woman he had once known. And even from across the room, Eugene could tell that Anna was far thinner than when he had last seen her. Part of him was surprised she hadn't keeled over weeks ago.

Kristoff nodded sadly, glancing down at the table as if he couldn't bear to look at the former Knight. It was then that Eugene noticed another surprising detail, and one that made much less sense.

"Her blonde streak is gone."

"What?" Kristoff asked confusedly, having just been shaken out of his reverie.

"Her hair," Eugene clarified. "There was a large lock of light blonde on the right side of her hair. Now it's completely gone. I don't...how would that have happened? Did Anna just dye her hair when she lived in the Palace?"

The ice-harvester shook his head. "It was originally red, just like the rest of her hair. When Elsa started using her healing magic on her regularly, that lock of hair gradually became the same color as Elsa's. Anna theorized it was correlated with her powers somehow; the more the color shifted to match Elsa's, the stronger her abilities became. I guess, now that her powers are gone...her hair returned to normal."

"Well, let's hope this Grand Pabbie can fix that," Eugene said.

Kristoff rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "First, we have to get her to drink one of these tears," he reminded the Prince. "The question is, how do we go about it? Convincing her won't work; she wouldn't listen to a word I said when I saw her last. In fact, she'll probably run as soon as she gets a close look at me. And, somehow, she's still pretty fast."

At that, Eugene shot his companion a confident grin. "Why do you think she's here?" he questioned, a knowing edge in his voice. "She wants to rob some poor rich fool of his gold. All we have to do..." he reached into his pocket, pulling out a large bag of gold coins and plopping it noisily onto the table, "Is play the part."

\

Her choice had been an easy one. She didn't know who the man was, but he was clearly loaded with gold. Soon after his arrival, he'd quickly sauntered up to the innkeeper and ordered the two largest rooms in the tavern. One for himself and one for his companion, even though either room alone had more than sufficient space for two people. Then he'd asked for a triple order of the most expensive item on the menu: a large steak sprinkled over with spices Anna didn't even recognize. He paid casually, as if the gold meant nothing to him, and even tipped the innkeeper an outrageous percentage.

Anna didn't know who he was. Nor did she care. He was probably just some highborn fucker who thought he was entitled to every luxury on the planet because he happened to have been popped out of the right woman. All that mattered was the bag of gold he carried on him, a bag that had been barely depleted by his purchases. If Anna didn't think it might spark a manhunt, she would happily take that entire bag from him. As it was, this was shaping up to be her biggest score in many years.

And to make it even easier, the fact that he had ordered separate rooms for his companion and himself meant that he would be the only obstacle between Anna and her next meal.

\

Two hours later, Anna was quietly climbing up to the rich man's window. The cold fiercely stung at her hands, but for once she barely noticed. All her thoughts were fixated on the food she would buy with the gold that would soon be hers. Maybe Anna would even order one of those steaks that she had watched the two men devour.

Finally, she arrived at the window. Carefully settling her feet down on the ledge, Anna carefully rubbed some of the fog off the glass pane. Save for the small glow of an almost completely dwindled fire, the room was consumed by total darkness. Taking a deep breath, the thief slowly and carefully eased the window open, keeping her ears alert from any reaction by the man on the other side.

Then she was inside, slipping quietly through the opened window. The minuscule light of the embers was just enough for Anna to see the man sleeping in his bed, completely dead to the world. Beside him, on the bedside table, was the bag of gold Anna had spent the last several hours practically salivating over. It was hers for the taking! Smiling darkly, she stepped towards her prize.

SLAM! The window shut behind her, and Anna realized she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

\

Crouched on the side of the wall parallel to the window, Kristoff had waited anxiously for their guest to arrive. Doubts had continuously flown through his thoughts. What if Anna had picked a different target? What if she wasn't thieving any longer? Was the climb outside too high for her to overcome?

It had taken every ounce of self-discipline he possessed to not jump to his feet as the window started to slide upwards. He had to wait. Positioned as he was, and given the near-darkness in the room, Anna would be incredibly unlikely to notice him.

He had to hand it to Eugene. The Prince's bait had worked perfectly. As soon as she entered the room, Anna's eyes were fixated on the bag of gold sitting so invitingly on the bedside table, just as Eugene had planned. Of course, he was speaking from experience.

As Anna crept forward, Kristoff moved towards the window and quickly shut it. In the time it took for Anna to whirl around in shock, Eugene had swiftly risen from his bed and lit a candle he'd had ready, thus bathing the room in a revealing light.

"You again!" Anna shouted, pointing at Kristoff.

The plan had been to place Anna in a situation she clearly could not escape from, invite her to sit down with the promise of giving her the entire bag of gold once they were finished, and (only if necessary) forcibly make her drink a tear.

Unfortunately, Kristoff had forgotten how stubborn Anna could be.

The thief raced towards the bedroom door. Eugene hopped out of bed and into her path, grabbing her wrists before they could reach the wooden handle. Kristoff thinking it was over, allowed his body to relax.

Then Anna was tearing her arms out of the Prince's grip. Within seconds, his hold had loosened, and with a final massive tug of her body, Anna was free. Before Eugene could react, Anna shoved the off-balance Prince hard in the chest, sending him slamming back onto the bed. Eugene, taking advantage of the powerful springs embedded in the mattress, bounced back up immediately and dived forward, wrapping his arms around Anna's legs. Both fell to the floor. Amazingly, the Prince again lost the advantage, and Anna was quickly on the verge of rising to her feet.

It was impossible. Eugene was a well-fed Prince who trained regularly and had the muscles to prove it. Anna was a scrawny woman who had been malnourished for over a year. It was that fact that allowed Kristoff to finally realize a truth that, while welcome in the long-term, was decidedly troublesome in the moment.

Anna hasn't lost all her power. Ninety-nine percent of it, maybe. She's certainly far from superhuman, but there's no way she could be this strong on her own.

The thief lashed out, kicking Eugene hard in the knee. She jumped to her feet, pushing the stunned Prince off of her and again making her way to the door. Kristoff, once again, had failed to react fast enough to make a difference. Anna would make it through the door well before he reached her. In desperation, he said the one thing that came to mind.

"Elsa!"

Anna's entire body jolted. Her hand, inches away from the handle, stopped in its tracks. She turned around violently to face him, clearly shocked but not certain why she was so. "What did you say?" she demanded.

Kristoff took a small step forward. "Elsa. Queen Elsa. You knew her, don't you remember?"

Anna shook her head in bewilderment. "No, I...I don't know what you're talking about! How would I know a Queen?" She seemed to be asking herself just as much as she was questioning him.

The ice-harvester took another pace towards her, emboldened now. "Part of you does remember. Pabbie's magic isn't as absolute as he thinks it is. That name reminds you of something, no matter how faint it is. That's why we're here, Anna. We have something that can bring your memories back.

"No...stay away," the thief took a step back towards the wall, but at least she wasn't trying to dart through the door again. Kristoff hesitated, unsure of how to proceed, but this time Eugene stepped in.

Rubbing his injured knee slightly, the Prince faced Anna. "I'm Prince Consort Eugene of Corona, husband of Princess Rapunzel. We knew each other before...before you lost your memories. My family has been searching for you ever since, Anna. I can't tell you how sorry I am to see you like this, but we want to help you."

"Why would a Prince care about me?"

Eugene looked her hard in the eyes. "We were friends, Anna. You saved my wife's life twice. Then Elsa betrayed you, and she made you think that we were involved in her lies. So instead of coming to us, you had Kristoff's friends remove your memories."

"Betrayed me?" Anna asked uncertainly. She brought a hand to her temple, as if she were suffering a growing headache.

The Prince nodded. "You were lovers, Anna. Haven't you heard any whispers in the Southern Isles about how Arendelle's Queen had taken a commoner as her consort? That was you, Anna. She lied to you; she never cared about you. But we did. And we still do. You ever hear about how Princess Rapunzel's tears can heal wounds? We want to see if they can restore your memories. All you have to do is drink one."

Anna violently shook her head. "Look, I don't know what's going on here, or what your game is, but if you expect me to drink poison from a stranger, you're in for a fucking surprise."

At that moment, Kristoff thought they were done for. Then Eugene surprised him.

"We have several bottles of tears. We'll drink some of them too, to show they're not poisoned. In fact, I might use one anyway, considering what you did to my knee. And, whether it works or it doesn't, after you drink you can have that entire bag of gold over there...and more, if you want it," Eugene offered.

Anna stared at him. "I'm supposed to believe that you would throw away so much gold for nothing?"

In response, Eugene leaned over to the table and grabbed the bag. He reached inside, pulling out a full third of the gold before walking to the window and opening it slightly. With a nonchalant throw, he tossed the precious coins out into the snow below. Turning around, he placed the still very valuable bag in a stunned Anna's hands. "I'm a Prince; what the hell would I care? That gold's yours. Drink a single tear...whichever bottle you choose...and you can have the rest of the gold that we have on our ship. There's quite a bit more."

The thief's eyes widened, and Kristoff had the distinct impression that she was imagining a future without hunger and cold as constant companions. For several moments, she was silent. Then, finally, she gave them their answer. "You say these tears can heal anything. Prove it. Take one and heal your knee; it's probably bruised by now. If it works, and if you each drink a bottle of my choosing, then I'll drink. And afterwards, you'll buy me a large house in Corona, with servants to care for my needs and a substantial monthly pension until the day I die. You say you're a Prince; that shouldn't be a problem for you."

Kristoff stared at her, unable to believe his ears. The locator spell had led them to this woman. She had Anna's hair, Anna's eyes, and Anna's voice. Save for the effects of malnutrition, she looked just like the woman he remembered. But this...it was as if she was an entirely different person. For a moment, he expected the Prince to balk at her demands, but Eugene simply nodded. "Fine. They're under the bed frame; allow me to retrieve them."

The ice harvester just hoped that the tears brought back the real Anna.

First, Eugene placed a tear on his leg. The bruise on his knee, revealed after he rolled up the leg of his trousers, faded away within seconds. Anna's eyes widened, but that was her only reaction. No squeal of delight or marveling at the miracle demonstrated before her.

Then she pointed to two of the bottles randomly, which Eugene and Kristoff drank...to no effect. Then, to their surprise, she did it again. For a second time they drank, and again her doubts were disproven. Only when several minutes passed and neither man showed signs of any ill effects did she pick out a random bottle for herself. She stared at it uncertainly, as if expecting it to explode in her hand.

"Your sword," Anna gestured to the weapon beneath the bed frame. "Give it to me." Nodding calmly, Eugene extracted the weapon before laying it at Anna's feet. The thief picked up the blade with her free hand, staring briefly at the impressive metalwork.

Again, Anna glared at Eugene. "I want a house next to the sea."

The Prince shrugged. "Corona doesn't have a lot of smooth coastline," he answered honestly. "But I'll see what I can do." Anna simply dipped her head, turning her gaze back to the small bottle in her hand.

With a heavy sigh, she pulled out the corkscrew. "What have I got to lose?"

Slowly, Anna brought the bottle to her lips. After another brief moment of hesitation, she tilted back the bottle and downed its contents in a single sip. Kristoff watched urgently, desperate for a reaction. "Do you...feel anything?"

Anna's gaze rose to look him in the eyes. "No. Now, Your Highness, it's time-"

There was a loud crash as the empty bottle slipped from the thief's hand and shattered on the floor. The next moment, Anna had collapsed onto her back, hitting the wooden floor with a violent thud.

"Anna!"

The former Knight was shaking and jerking wildly, her limbs flailing in every conceivable direction. Anna's eyelids were blinking rapidly, as if her eyes continued to see sights that they simply refused to believe. Sounds started issuing from her mouth: rapid, unintelligible murmuring that Kristoff could not even begin to decipher.

For five terrifying seconds, the episode continued. Then, without warning, Anna suddenly stopped convulsing. Arms and legs splayed out, she was staring open eyed at the ceiling, her mouth slightly agape and her breathing almost imperceptible.

Kristoff dropped to his knees beside her. "Anna, are you alright?!" he demanded urgently.

Anna blinked slowly. Once. Twice. Then her head rolled to the side, turning to face him. Recognition blazed in her eyes, and for a moment Kristoff felt nothing but indescribable, all-encompassing relief.

Then she punched him in the face.


	80. Bonus Scene 3

Thousands of Years Ago…

Repressing a scowl, Emma stared at up at the gigantic statue that loomed tall over this section of the city. Composed of pure white platinum, it depicted the majestic visage of the one true Goddess standing in triumph above her subjects. Knowing that, if she failed to do so, the Watchers would likely arrest her on the spot, the eleven-year-old girl bowed low before the statue. The cold stung at her forehead as she pressed it to the snow-covered ground, but it was far less pain than she would experience in one of the prisons.

As in every other city, all residents were required to pass through the central plaza on their way home from the fields, and bow in supplication before the visage of their Divine Empress. The plaza and the few blocks around it were ringed by the great estates of the city's Faithful: magic wielders and their families. Each mansion was staffed by a hundred servants, none of whom would have chosen the job willingly. Any member of the Faithful was allowed to strike down any Ungifted at any time; no reason or justification was required. The reverse was punishable by crucifixion.

It had been a hard day at work. As an eleven-year-old, Emma was only required to spend nine hours of her day farming. Still, it had been nothing short of hell. The omnipresent snowfall made the job tremendously difficult, and the hunger eating at her stomach caused the hours to pass by twice as slowly.

All of the food harvested by the city's farmers was collected by an Observer to later be rationed out to the city's residents. The estates of the Faithful received a full half of the accumulated goods (much of which would go unused), and the remainder was divided up by the city's Ungifted population. It was usually enough to stave off the threat of starvation, but that was before the Goddess's recent visit to the city. Unsatisfied with the amount of adulation and reverence she'd received from the peasantry, the Divine Empress had cut their percentage of the food rations to thirty-five percent.

Emma made her way back home with the utmost care. Fighting often broke out these days over food, and the city's Watchers did little to stop it so long as it did not disturb the Faithful or damage their property. It wasn't long after she left the plaza that the gilded mansions of the Faithful gave way to the wooden huts and shacks of the Ungifted.

Still, she mused, at least tomorrow was Church. For several hours, she and the rest of the Ungifted would stand before one of the less senior members of the Faithful and learn once against about their glorious Goddess's rightful claim on the world.

The Faithful always stated that the Divine Empress had ruled since the dawn of humanity. Her unmatched power made her the rightful and unchallenged ruler of the entire world; to even believe differently was treasonous. The natural order then set the Faithful above the Ungifted, thanks to their magical abilities.

The Ungifted owed everything to the grace of their Divine Empress. It was only by her mercy that two months of the year were blessed with spring. They were required by the fundamental truths of the world to willingly, eagerly, and zealously serve and admire those above them. Emma and the rest of the Ungifted existed to please their Goddess.

Emma knew too much to believe such drivel, but at least Church would allow her to spend several waking hours without manual labor. Not that she had a choice. Any family who had a member fail to attend Church forfeited all rations for the entire week.

Finally, she made her way to the small two-room shack she shared with her grandfather. Emma had only known her parents briefly, and it had been too early in her life to remember. Emma's mother had survived childbirth, but she had been infected with a serious illness in the process. Only the Faithful had access to the kind of medicine she needed. Emma's father had desperately begged for a sample of the precious liquid, and when that failed, he'd attempted to break into one of the Faithful's storerooms.

So now, Emma was an orphan.

Her grandfather was waiting for her, sitting on the small moldy cot the two of them slept on. Emma pointedly ignored the only object of any value within their dwelling: the stainless steel statue of the Goddess that she was expected to bow to upon entering.

The two of them quickly ate their meager rations, having been lucky enough to hide them from persistent thieves. Still hungry, Emma turned to her only source of entertainment in the world.

"Tell me a story, papa!"

"Of course, Princess," he said, picking her up and placing her on his lap. "As long as you remember the rule about all of my stories."

Emma nodded. "Don't tell anyone!" she repeated dutifully, and her papa ruffled her hair. She knew the punishment for words of dissent about the Goddess...or talking about the history that had been nearly wiped out of the public's consciousness. Long ago, Emma's family had seen the importance in keeping the truth known, and since then has always passed down details of the true history to younger generations.

Her grandfather had imparted on her what would happen if the Watchers discovered this. A slow death on the cross awaited all who spoke against the Goddess, even in private. Accordingly, Emma had only ever repeated her grandfather's stories to one person. His name was Horace; he was a young boy who often worked the fields beside her. Save for her grandfather, he was the only person she trusted.

"Long ago, a different god ruled this earth. He was King above all the other divines, yet he ruled humanity with wisdom and kindness. Springs lasted for ten months a year, flowers bloomed across the earth, and rare was the adult or child that did not have enough food. All of humanity was equal, mages and Ungifted alike," he began, stopping only to cough. At sixty years of age, he was one of the oldest Ungifted in the city, and his health had been diminishing in recent years. Even now, during what was supposed to be a happy time, Emma couldn't help but fear for him.

"Prosperity reigned for countless years...until an envious force worked to bring the King's downfall. She matched him in power, but was cunning enough to end his rule through other means. This goddess struck down the woman he loved, a human woman, and the resulting chain of events sent the world spiraling into conflict. By the end of that war between the gods, only one divine remained: the one who had started it all," he continued.

"Will she ever vanish too?" Emma asked eagerly. She already knew the answer she would be given, but it was wonderful to hear all the same.

"Yes. We may never see it, but it will happen one day. One day, humanity will rise up against her, and she will be dispersed to the wind," her papa answered. "A Seer predicted this long ago, shortly before her rise, and Seer's are never wrong."

Emma smiled. "And she'll be gone forever?" she asked happily.

Her papa hesitated briefly, and Emma had the distinct impression that he was making a difficult decision. Finally, with a frown, he reluctantly continued.

"I...I didn't want to tell you this, but if anything would happen to me...you need to know the truth. That same prophecy predicted that she may return after being vanquished...but only after thousands of years," he said reassuringly.

Emma's heart sank at the thought that humanity would never truly be rid of the goddess. "Are...are you sure that prophecies can't be wrong?"

Her papa nodded sadly. "There's still two surviving lines from another prophecy, one that dates back before the King's fall. The price of her return shall be a war that burns across the entire earth. And when the Divines vanish and the flames of their war fade, the cold winds will rise. It was all too true, I'm afraid," he finished sadly.

Emma frowned. "Didn't the King try to stop it?"

"I'm sure he would have, if he'd known. The Seer who made that prophecy told no one about her predictions; she wrote it down in a journal that was not discovered until the war had already begun," he asnwered.

"Why didn't he-"

"Why didn't he tell anyone?" her papa finished gently. "Prophecies can't be stopped. Every time people have tried, things have only been made worse. Perhaps this Seer wanted to prevent more damage."

Emma sighed. Not for the first time, she wished she'd been born hundreds of years ago, during the reign of the King. Even thinking about a ten-month spring made her excited. But instead, she was cursed to spend her life under the reign of a goddess whose time may never end. Now she couldn't even take comfort of the fact that she would eventually fall.

Not if she would be back to pick up where she left off.

"Well," her grandfather sighed. "I'm sorry this wasn't the tale you were hoping for. Tomorrow night will be a happy one; I promise!" he smiled.

"Well, since I didn't get a good story tonight, shouldn't I have two tomorrow?" Emma asked sweetly.

Her papa smiled. "You certainly are your mother's daughter. Hmm...maybe if you're quiet during Church tomorrow-"

A loud bang echoed throughout their shack as the door splintered open.

Three members of the Watch stormed in, two massive men and one thin, sour-faced woman. Each wore the uniforms typical of their order, pitch black save for the dark blue snowflakes imprinted on their shoulders.

"We have it on good authority you've been talking treason, old man," one of the men said to her grandfather.

Despite the situation, her papa remained calm. "I am a devout servant of our beloved Divine Empress," he replied immediately. "Who would dare accuse me of such a preposterous crime?"

The woman's gaze turned to glare at Emma. "One of the farmhands came to us with the knowledge. Your granddaughter's been telling her filthy lies to her son."

Emma gasped. She could only mean Horace. Her best friend had betrayed her. Immediately, she knew why. Anyone who reported treason and had their accusations confirmed received extra rations from the crown. Emma had known that Horace's family was struggling, but she still couldn't believe...

"The girl's reaction is proof enough. Confess, old man, and we will spare your granddaughter the cross," the woman said.

Emma couldn't help but begin to cry. Her grandfather was going to be crucified...all because of her! "No!" she said. "He didn't do anything!"

Her papa looked at her sadly. She could see the fear in his eyes, but somehow, there was no anger. "I...I am guilty," he confessed, closing his eyes in consternation.

"No, papa!" she cried, as the men moved towards him.

"I love you, Emma. You'll have to survive without me. I know you can; you're a strong girl. We'll always be watching over you. Me, and your mother and your father. Don't give up, Emma...never give up," he said.

The woman laughed. "You're wasting your breath, old man. The girl is as guilty as you, and she will suffer the same fate. Take her," she motioned to the men.

"No!" he moved to block their path, but the woman simply raised her hand. A blast of air erupted from her palm. It hit her grandfather full in the chest, knocking him onto the floor.

"She's just a girl..." he protested weakly as he was hauled to his feet.

The woman shrugged. "All traitors meet the same fate," she said coldly. "There's only one punishment fit for rebellion against our divine empress."

Emma's heart was a black hole of dread. She was going to be crucified. She was going to be crucified!

"When will you Ungifted learn?" the woman questioned. And with that, Emma and her grandfather were hauled out into the night.

/

The next morning saw their bodies nailed to two crosses in the center of the plaza, displayed for all their fellows to see. Emma, slowly bleeding out from the wounds in her hands and legs, looked up to see the massive statue of the Goddess. It was the last sight she ever saw.

As the life left her body, Emma's head drooped forward, bowing before the visage of her Divine Empress one final time.


	81. Fallen: Chapter 14

"I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and you just tried to rob me," the woman said, and Anna stared at her in shock. Her life was over; it was only a matter of time.

"You need her alive," Anna realized. "Otherwise she'd be dead already, considering the risk of her powers. You can't kill her," she challenged, and the man's face contorted with anger as he flung the unconscious Queen into the snow.

"You rescue the Queen of Arendelle and you want a sword and a suit of armor. Hm...I have another idea."

Anna smiled as she settled into the velvet sheets. The redhead laid her back on the most comfortable pillows she had ever felt and closed her eyes. Gods, this place was nicer than most of the rooms she had broken into.

Elsa grabbed her by the shoulders, cutting her off. "You're my friend, Anna," she said firmly. "I trust you."

"I'd like you to meet my cousin, Princess Rapunzel of Corona."

She was lying on the ground, staring in amazement as a golden glow began to heal the arrow wound that had all but killed her. Even more shocking, however, were Elsa's words as she screamed at Rapunzel. "When the people I love are dying-" Anna couldn't believe her ears. "L-love...?" she whispered softly.

"You'll never have to sleep out in the cold ever again. Whatever happens, you will always have a home here. I swear it upon my life and title."

"What's your name, by the way?" Anna asked. "Kristoff," came the answer.

Tears forming in her eyes, Anna shouted at the distraught Princess. "Ride as fast as you can! I'll hold them off!"

Pain. So much pain as the brand pressed into her face, leaving behind a dark scar that would remain forever. Jocasta stood above her, laughing softly as she retracted the burning instrument. "Tell me," she said again, but Anna did not.

"It's me, Anna. You're safe."

The former thief couldn't believe her ears. "It's a Knighting Ceremony, Anna. Your Knighting Ceremony."

She stared at her teacher, too stunned to even form the words ringing in her mind. Traitor. Murderer. Liar. Drell was standing in front of her, going on and on about his mission to kill the supposed Goddess, and all Anna could think about was that every moment they'd shared together had been nothing but a lie.

"So...we were hoping you would be our child's Surrogate."

Finally, Anna heard the words she had been waiting months to hear. And yet, even though she'd been anticipating them with all her heart, the Knight found it difficult to believe that they had actually been spoken. "Will you, Lady Anna of Arendelle, grant me the honor of your hand in marriage?"

"This is the day I've been awaiting for so long. The day I could finally tell you that I don't love you, have never loved you, and in fact hated you since the moment we met. Finally, I don't need you any longer. You've fulfilled your purpose, and now I can discard you."

White-hot pain flowed through Anna's veins. In an instant, all of the heartbreak and anguish that had led her to removing her memories returned as strong as ever. Her eyes roamed to Kristoff's concerned, yet hopeful face, and it was then she knew who was responsible for her renewed anguish.

Anna's fist lashed out, catching him on the cheek and sending him toppling to the floor. "I TOLD you I didn't want to remember!" she bellowed. It was then that the thief noticed...truly noticed...Eugene, staring at her with abject shock.

His presence meant two things. The first, and most obvious, was that Elsa's family had not been part of the Queen's betrayal. The second was that, if she wished, Anna could escape poverty then and there.

"So you're here to rescue me, I take it?" she snarked. "How gallant of you. Where were you a year ago?"

Eugene frowned. "Elsa told us you were a traitor to Arendelle. We weren't sure what to believe, but we've had men searching for you this entire time. We wanted to hear your side of the story. I guess you hid yourself too well."

Hmm. It was good to know that Rapunzel and her family had been true friends after all. And Anna knew that their wealth could keep her comfortable for the rest of time. But were those two things worth the renewed heartbreak she was now experiencing? And would accepting their aid put them in danger of Elsa's wrath?

"We do want to help you, Anna," Eugene continued. "But we also need your help. Elsa needs to be stopped, and if we don't do something soon...no amount of power or Coronan money will be able to save any of us from far worse than poverty."

Anna sighed. Of course, things could never be simple. "I'll listen to what you have to say," she agreed. "But first, go downstairs and buy five of those spiced steaks I saw you two enjoying earlier. And some good ale," she ordered.

/

Anna was devouring the meat like a madwoman. Just because she remembered her manners evidently didn't mean she was going to use them. Of course, given how she'd been starving for several months, Kristoff did not judge her too harshly.

It was only after Anna finished her third steak that her pace slowed enough to begin their conversation. Kristoff would have expected Anna to interject constantly during their tales, but instead she was quiet. All she said in response to Elsa being a goddess was "Makes sense, I suppose." All through Kristoff's story of journeying to Corona and enlisting Rapunzel's aid, she said not a word.

"So we need to go to Grand Pabbie," Eugene was finishing. "Hopefully he's created a spell that can restore your powers. Then...somehow, we have to take Elsa down. She's somewhat weaker than normal, as a lot of her magic is building up for the ritual."

Anna's eyes were fixed on the floor. "I should have known," she said softly.

"Known?" Kristoff repeated incredulously. "How could any of us have known what Elsa was planning? It's not as if Drell provided any proof of his claims."

"I'm not talking about that!" Anna said angrily. "I'm talking about my entire damn life. I should have walked away the second Elsa offered to let me in the Castle. I'm...I'm just not meant to be happy. Anytime anything good happens to me, it's just a trap waiting to make my life even worse. A Queen falls in love with me? Nope, it's an insane goddess who wants to watch me suffer. My friends come and offer me an escape from poverty? Nope, they're bringing news about the end of the world."

"Don't talk that way!" Kristoff protested.

Anna shrugged. "I'm not meant to be happy. There's no point in denying it. I was born to misery, my life has been miserable, and I'll stay that way until the day that I die. I just have to learn to accept it."

"You're not going to help us?" Eugene asked. He sounded disgusted.

Anna turned to glare at him. "Of course I'm going to help. Just because this world hates me doesn't mean everyone else is as screwed as I am. Even though they've never given a shit about me, I'm going to try and help the rest of the world...the ones who might have some happiness in their lives as long as Elsa doesn't get her way. Of course, she probably will."

Kristoff would have sighed in relief, but Anna was still far too fatalistic for his liking. "The odds aren't in our favor," he admitted. "But if we manage to get your powers back, we'll have a real chance."

Anna stared him hard in the eyes. "Don't get your hopes up," she warned him. "Powers or not, we're probably going to be dead by the end of the year."

/

Elsa sighed. The reports coming in from their active agents in Corona confirmed that Will and Enobaria had failed. Kristoff was still alive, and he and Eugene were probably on their way to wherever Anna was in hiding.

The news wasn't all bad. Thomas had been taken out of the picture. More importantly, the Coronan military would not be interfering with her plans. Even if the King had believed Kristoff's tale, he would probably not even had time to assemble his military, let alone bring it to Arendelle.

"Less than two months left, Your Worship," Kayla was saying. "Do you think Anna will come back to the Castle before the Solstice?"

Elsa and Evangeline shared a knowing look. Not everything about the ritual had been shared with the majority of the Faithful, and some details had been... altered. "Perhaps," the goddess said. "We're more than prepared for any attack. All entrances are barred, secret or not. All of the guards are on watch for Anna's climbing abilities; they'll be reminded of them again today. It is unlikely that she could regain her powers, but it is always better to be prepared. I don't take chances."

Kayla nodded sadly. "I only wish my curse had succeeded, Your Worship. If Eugene and Thomas had inhaled the smoke..."

Elsa shook her head. Kayla was perhaps the most promising young member the Faithful had to offer. She was the rare human mage who could actively project direct magic (in this case, her control of animals) and also work spells and curses that could be bottled and used at a later date. Even Elsa herself could not do both, though that would change once the ritual was ready.

"The fault is not yours; the curse was composed perfectly. The failure was in its execution; Will is to blame, not you," she said, smiling slightly before turning to Evangeline. "I want you to start preparing a strike force. Our best mages, minus the ones essential to the guard at the Castle."

"Of course, Your Worship. But, if I may ask, to what purpose?" the spymaster questioned.

"Perhaps none," the goddess replied. "I would rather keep all our forces close. But if Kristoff, Eugene, and Anna can be located outside of the trolls' nest..."

"My hawks are searching for them as we speak," Kayla said. "If they see the three of them, I will know, Your Worship."

"Good," the Goddess replied. Everything was going according to plan. Anna and her friends were simply a minor nuisance. Still, something was telling her to continue to take them seriously. She had paid for her overconfidence once; Elsa did not intend to do so again.

/

Although Eugene had more than enough money to purchase horses, the fact that their journey to the North Mountain would take them through dense forests and ever rising hills forced them to walk on foot. That first night, situated deep in the large Green Cloak that made up much of the border between Arendelle and the Southern Isles, the three of them agreed to take alternating watches after they made camp. Eugene volunteered for the first.

Kristoff waited until Anna was certainly asleep, then made his way several meters away to where the Prince was keeping watch.

"Something wrong?" Eugene asked.

The ice harvester nodded. "Anna. I knew she was upset about Elsa, but I never expected... You knew her from before, didn't you? Even after being tortured, she was still a kind and considerate woman. Now she's just bitter and angry at the world; those are the only emotions she ever shows. It doesn't make sense...changing so much just because of one person's betrayal."

Eugene nodded sadly. "Part of it is probably the trauma of having all those memories, both happy and painful, coming back to her all at once. She might recover from the shock as the days go on. But I think there's something more responsible for her attitude than that..." He paused, tearing his gaze away from Kristoff and staring at Anna's sleeping form.

"What?" Kristoff asked insistently.

The Prince shrugged morosely. "Everyone has their breaking point, Kristoff. Anna's life was pretty miserable since the day she was born, and it only got worse as she grew older. She stayed hopeful the entire time, but it couldn't have been easy. And when Elsa took her in and they started courting, it seemed that all of her dreams had come true. In her mind, all of her happiness became tied to a single person. All of her positive emotions were invested in and founded upon Elsa. When that ended, her hope pretty much crumbled."

Kristoff frowned. He had known that Anna was emotionally dependent upon Elsa; he'd even warned her about that very danger. But he hadn't realized it was this serious.

"How do you know?" he asked.

The Prince shot him a small, sardonic smile. "Anna and I are alike in a lot of ways. We both spent our early years thieving. Both of us have a profound appreciation for the female sex, especially if that female in question is a hot young member of a Royal Family. Oh sure, her life before moving into a Castle was a lot harder than mine, but we were both still miserable."

"Really?" Kristoff questioned. "All of the stories I heard about your thieving years paint you as a dashing young rogue, enjoying an exciting life constantly one step ahead of the country's guards."

"True, for the most part. I certainly was dashing, even though the wanted posters constantly butchered my image," he laughed softly at the memory. "But deep down, I was actually pretty lonely. The cutthroats I often worked with weren't exactly good company, and being a wanted man makes forming long-term friendships difficult. All of my daring heists were an attempt to fill that void with intensity and thrill seeking."

"Until Rapunzel," Kristoff supplied.

Eugene nodded, unable to keep a small smile off of his face at the mention of his wife. "Until her," he agreed. "Rapunzel is, well, my whole world now. Her and the child growing in her belly. If something happened to them...I don't think I'd be far off from Anna."

Kristoff wasn't sure what to say to that, and for several moments and uneasy silence lingered between them.

"It's hard seeing Anna like this," Eugene said. "Believe me, I know. But right now, the important thing is stopping Elsa, and she's agreed to help us do that."

Kristoff shot him an angry glare. "So we just do nothing but watch her suffer?"

"For now, that's all we can do," Eugene answered. "If by some miracle we do win, Rapunzel and I will help her. We can give Anna back the lifestyle she grew used to. Will that be enough? I don't know, but it's the best we can do."

Kristoff let out a frustrated sigh. "It's just...seeing her like this; I can't stand it."

"You care about her a lot," Eugene said. It was not a question. "Maybe you're in love with her; maybe you're just a good friend. I know you want to help her. But right now, we have to stay focused on Elsa. If we don't, Anna's going to spend the rest of her life as an ice sculpture...all of us will. The best thing we can do for her is win this fight."

Kristoff knew he was right, and his logic made the ice-harvester feel just a slight bit better.

"You know," he mused. "Maybe I was wrong about Royals. I always thought you were all self-absorbed pricks, and Elsa didn't exactly help change my opinion. You're a lot more down to earth than I expected, though."

"Thanks," Eugene chuckled, "But that's not really fair, since I wasn't born into it. Neither was Rapunzel, really, considering she didn't even know she was a Princess until she turned eighteen. But your opinion isn't exactly unfounded; most of the Royalty I've met have been self-absorbed and negligent at best. Corona's the exception, not the rule."

"Well, at least most of them aren't planning on freezing over the entire earth in order to enact a ritual designed to give them the power to subjugate all of humanity...right?" Kristoff asked.

Eugene shook his head. "No," he agreed. "But a lot of them probably would if they could."

/

The second night, Eugene took the last watch. They were almost out of the Green Cloak now, and would very soon enter the foothills. Another day's traveling would see them reach the trolls' campsite.

It wasn't long before he began to doze off. They were out of the thick of the forest now; although trees still surrounded them, they hadn't seen signs of any large animals for many miles.

The Prince didn't fall asleep, but his awareness of the world around him dimmed. His thoughts, as they always did, turned to the wife he had left behind. Although he had often complained that Castle life was too 'boring', Eugene would have given anything in the world at the moment to be lying next to Rapunzel in their soft bed, rubbing his hand over her slowly growing stomach.

He was almost completely absorbed by the light dream. And thus, he didn't see the danger it was far too late.

When it was twenty feet away, Eugene finally noticed the looming shape in the darkness fast approaching him. With a yell, the Prince shouted a warning to his companions and unsheathed his longsword.

It was a massive black bear, eight feet tall and nearly as wide. Eugene couldn't think of what any of them could have done to offend such a beast, but its eyes were glowering with rage. Its red eyes.

The beast had been approaching with surprising caution, but now that the travelers were awake, it charged forward in unrestrained aggression. Behind him, Anna was yelling at Kristoff to climb a tree, but hopefully that would not be necessary. The Prince raised his sword, preparing to use the force of the bear's own charge to impale the enraged beast right between the eyes.

His aim was true. But at the last moment, the bear responded with unnatural speed. Its head reared to the side, avoiding Eugene's blade entirely. In its place came a large meaty claw aimed at the Prince's shoulder.

Eugene dived to the left. He might have managed to leap clear…were it not for the fact that his reflexes were still dulled by his recent doze. His movement was interrupted as five sharp nails dug into his right shoulder, each leaving a deep cut that blazed with agony.

He rolled to the ground, dropping his sword in the process. All but paralyzed by pain, he could do nothing but stare as the beast loomed over him. Its jaw opened wide, preparing to devour the Prince's throat with a single bite. Eugene closed his eyes, waiting for the end.

A second passed. Instead of feeling the bear's maw wrap around his throat, Eugene heard the beast give a pained roar. He opened his eyes to see the bear turning away from him. Sticking out of the beast's fur, just above its right eye, was Anna's knife. Blood poured out from the wound, obscuring the bear's vision and doubtlessly enraging it further.

But it was by no means a mortal wound. The bear turned to face Anna, its eyes blazing with furry.

Anna's powers were, for all intents and purposes, gone. But the training she had put herself through for months on end was still a part of her. As the bear charged, she dived to the right. And unlike Eugene, she avoided it completely.

Kristoff was not doing quite as well. The ice harvester was standing in the middle of their campsite...completely frozen with fear. If the bear targeted him, he would be dead within seconds.

Anna hurriedly picked up Eugene's sword, holding it before her in a trained stance. She knew what she was doing, but even so, the odds were not in her favor. Even if Anna managed to fell the beast, rage and adrenaline would probably keep it going long enough to take her down with it.

Desperately, Eugene looked around for a weapon. Any weapon.

/

Anna couldn't help but be reminded of the last time she'd faced a bloodthirsty animal. A dozen vicious wolves, together a far greater threat than a lone bear, had died by her sword that day. But the powers that had enabled Anna and Kristoff to survive that terrifying encounter had long deserted her.

Speaking of Kristoff, the ice harvester was still standing dumbly next to the remains of their fire, completely paralyzed by terror. Which meant that Anna would have to keep the beast occupied; if she ran and managed to clamber up a tree, the bear would be eating Kristoff's useless ass within seconds.

Anna had learned from Eugene's example; facing it head on was not an option. As it charged, she darted to the right and struck out with her sword. The blade opened a shallow cut in the beast's side. Finishing her movement with a roll, she came to her feet and jumped well clear of the bear's reach.

Two wounds it had now suffered, neither fatal but both debilitating. Now it was coming at her again. She repeated her previous tactic, but this time it was somehow ready for her. As Anna darted to the side, it altered the direction of its charge. Its claw swiped at her head.

She ducked just in time, but the movement upset her balance. Instead of cleaving her sword into the bear's fur, Anna was tripping over her own two feet. Before she knew it, she had hit the ground hard. The sword somehow stayed within her grip, but Anna had no time to return to her feet as the beast bore down upon her.

It was a second away from diving at her beck when a large stone struck it across the face. Anna turned to see Eugene sitting up weakly, have used the last of his energy on the throw.

The bear turned too, and Anna knew that if she didn't act, Rapunzel was seconds away from being a widow. With the beast looking toward its new target, its neck was perfectly exposed to Anna's strike. It would attempt to counterattack and bring her down with it, and Anna accepted that.

She jumped to her feet, slashing with her blade. The sword flashed down through the air, cutting deep into the exposed fur. The bear screamed in agony as the blade sliced its way through flesh, veins, and arteries; a massive torrent of blood erupted from the wound. Mortally wounded, the bear turned upon her once again. With the last of its strength, its claw raked at her chest.

Forgoing all her warrior instincts, Anna released her hands from the sword still lodged firmly in its hide and leapt back as far as she could. The tips of the claw tore at her shirt, brushing her chest just enough to leave two shallow scratches.

She landed on her back. The bear, still bleeding heavily, shot her one last look of hate before it crumbled to the ground.

Then Anna was on her feet, running to their bags. She pulled out the box of tears as fast as she could before grabbing a bottle and dashing to Eugene's side. The Prince was sitting on the ground, holding his uninjured arm on top of the wound and slowing the bleeding as much as he could.

At her signal, he released the wound and tore aside the remains of his shirt to reveal the gruesome details. Five deep lines of red cut across his shoulder. Though not fatal (unless they became infected), the length and placement of the cuts made it clear that the claw had torn through much of Eugene's shoulder muscle.

Without preamble, Anna opened the bottle and tipped it out over the wound. Eugene closed his eyes in anticipation of the comforting golden glow that would soon end his agony.

Nothing happened.

"Dammit!" Eugene swore. "The magic...it's worn out."

Anna cursed. "Kristoff!" she shouted. "If you're not too busy standing there like a coward, maybe you could help me bandage this up!"

Wordlessly, he joined her at Eugene's side, and together they fixed up the wounds as best they could. Luckily, the Prince had thought to pack bandages and some pain sedatives before leaving Corona, knowing that Rapunzel's tears wouldn't last very long.

"Why the hell did that thing attack us?" Eugene spat as they cleaned the cuts.

Anna shrugged angrily. "I have no idea. Kristoff and I were attacked by a pack of wolves when I was on my way to first meet the trolls; magic was definitely involved then, and that was when Drell's group first wanted me dead. Now that they're gone...I don't know. Maybe one of the Faithful can do the same spell, or maybe it wasn't even magic. We could have just been sleeping in that bear's territory and it wanted us out."

The two men nodded.

"And, of course, you two..." she paused, taking a deep breath. "Really, this is the best you can do? Eugene, you didn't even notice a giant bear coming at you until it was practically breathing down your neck!"

Kristoff opened his mouth to interject, but Anna beat him to it. "And you!" she rounded on the ice harvester. "At least Eugene helped. You stood there like a gibbering idiot while the two of us fought for our lives. I'd accuse you of not caring about us, but since I know you better than that, the only explanation is that you're a coward."

"Lay off him, Anna!" Eugene said, his bandages nearly finished now. "You and I are used to this sort of thing; he isn't. And if it wasn't for him, none of us would even know about what Elsa was planning."

"Then give him a pat on the back!" Anna retorted sarcastically. "There's three of us; we're up against an army of mages led by an insane Goddess. We can't afford slip-ups. And we can't have him freezing up and forcing the rest of us protect his ass."

"It won't happen again," Kristoff promised. Anna felt slightly guilty at the dejected tone in his voice, but she knew it was necessary. If he fucked up again, none of them were likely to survive.

/

Nothing worked.

They'd arrived at the trolls' campsite without further difficulty. Eugene's wounds had slowed them down, but the cuts had managed to avoid infection. Even now, the trolls were working what magic they could to heal the damage to his shoulder, though their magic in that field was nothing compared to his wife's.

But he was having far better luck than Anna. The former Knight had greeted Pabbie quickly before agreeing to drink the potions he had created...all designed to restore her latent magic. The only effect that any of them produced was a slight ache in her stomach.

Kristoff and Eugene watched, horrified, as Anna shook her head sullenly. She had just swallowed his last potion.

"There has to be something!" the ice-harvester protested. "Anna still has some of her power left; there's no other way she would have been able to overpower Eugene. All you have to do is awaken the rest of it."

The old troll simply sighed and stared at the ground. Anna had never seen him so defeated. It was a sobering and terrifying thought to realize that she had been their last hope. None of their magic could compete with Elsa's powers, and they had no other allies to turn to. When Elsa's ritual swept over the globe, the trolls would be as helpless as everyone else.

Eugene was silent, but Anna could see his eyes blazing with terror. For all his skill and determination, he was helpless to stop the Goddess preparing to destroy his world. He and his wife would be frozen forever, their last thoughts centered on a child that would now never be born.

Anna couldn't let that happen.

"There's...one other thing," she said hesitantly. It was something Anna had promised herself she would never do. And the chances that it would actually amount to anything were slim at best. But it was the only hope they had.

Instantly, Kristoff, Eugene, and even Pabbie rounded upon her. It was as if they were starving and she was holding a large loaf of bread, so intent were their faces. They would agree with whatever plan she proposed.

"There's a lot we still don't know about Elsa and her ritual," Anna said. "Maybe she has a weakness...preparing for the ritual could give us some kind of opening. We know her powers are a bit weaker now; maybe that's not the only thing about her ritual that might be useful to know."

Eugene frowned. "You want to capture one of the Faithful and force them to tell us?"

Anna shook her head. "No. They've already proven they'd rather die than tell us what we need to know. But..." she took a deep breath, "They're not the only ones who know about the history of the gods."


	82. Fallen: Chapter 15

November 1

"Have all of our mages replied to the summons?" Elsa questioned calmly.

Evangeline nodded. "The last will be here in a week; she's coming from Albion. As soon as she arrives, the seven of us will set off," the spymaster promised.

"Good," Elsa replied. At last, the Goddess had finally decided that it was time to wipe out her enemies. With Kristoff and Eugene having found Anna and almost certainly having made their way to the trolls with knowledge of her plans, there was no longer any point in holding back from destroying that group of pests. Unable to leave the Castle herself, the Goddess would entrust the task to a group of her most deadly Faithful.

But first, there were preparations to be made.

She fixed her gaze to the spymaster. "You leave tonight," Elsa said.

Evangeline's eyes widened. "You want us to attack immediately?" she questioned. "I thought you intended to wait until our strike force was at full strength. Three of our number still have not yet arrived."

The Goddess shook her head. "You're going to go alone," she revealed. By herself, Evangeline could make her way to the North Mountain in less than two days. Her teleportation could carry her very far, very fast. Using her magic drained the spymaster of energy, but her speed remained great even when accounting for the necessary periods of rest.

Evangeline's mouth began to gape open, and Elsa decided to end the suspense. "I don't intend for you to attack alone," she assured the spymaster. It was true; Elsa would never throw away the life of a valuable servant so rashly. "I simply need an agent to make their way to the trolls' camp and back before we set out to attack, and you're by far the fastest."

The spymaster answered her with a bow. "Of course, Your Worship. But if I may ask...why?" Her tone was one of genuine confusion.

"After you arrive, you will tell Anna and her friends that you are there to negotiate. Promise them that if they surrender peacefully and agree to return to this Castle as prisoners, their lives will be spared. And that Eugene's lovely whore and her family will not be kept frozen when my magic sweeps the earth," Elsa said.

Evangeline frowned. "That's a lie they will see through easily," she noted.

"Of course they will," Elsa agreed. "They'll know you have an ulterior motive; that offer is simply the excuse you will use. Eventually, you will allow them to believe that your true purpose in showing yourself is to ascertain whether Anna has returned."

"Which we already know, thanks to Kayla's falcons," the other woman said.

The Goddess smirked. "Your real objective is one they should not become aware of. This mortal body only visited that campsite once, and it was very brief. I do not quite know what magic the trolls are capable of, and your strike force must be ready for any eventuality. Scope out the terrain as much as you can, and see if they have any nasty surprises in store for us."

Evangeline frowned. "From what we know of their magic, that's unlikely."

"Yes," Elsa agreed. "But we must be sure. I have no intention of sending my most powerful agents into battle without first sending a scout to survey the battlefield. Of course, should the opportunity arise, you are more than welcome to stab Anna or any of her friends in the heart."

They'd discussed this before. Evangeline had offered to simply teleport into the camp and stab Anna and Eugene in their beds, but Elsa had quickly vetoed that idea. The barrier around the troll's campsite prevented magic from directly passing through. Her teleportation could not carry her directly into the trolls' huts. She could take the mundane option and simply walk through the barrier, but that would expose her to attack to a greater degree than Elsa was comfortable with.

Taking Anna's life at the cost of Evangeline's was not an even trade.

By the time for the attack arrived, Elsa's Faithful would have completed their spell designed to destroy the barrier, but that moment had not yet arrived. Elsa had to be sure that the barrier was the only defense the trolls had. The trolls, Pabbie in particular, were so proud of their magic that they vastly overestimated its power; they were likely more than confident in their shield…a shield that would quickly fall to the Faithful's spells. But if the old troll was wiser than he seemed and had prepared additional surprises, the results could be rather unpleasant.

The spymaster bowed and turned to leave, but Elsa stopped her with a small cough. Quickly, Evangeline turned around to again look upon her Goddess.

"One more thing," she intoned, her lips curving into a small smirk. "Make sure you remind them exactly how much time they have left."

\

November 3

"Kristoff, I'm not arguing about this again. You're not coming. Don't make me remind you why."

The ice-harvester bristled with anger. "I'm not going to just sit on my ass in the middle of camp while you and Eugene risk your lives! he protested. "I'd never be able to live with myself."

"No?" Anna questioned, her voice tinged with mockery. "As I recall, you were perfectly happy to sit on your ass the last time Eugene and I were fighting for our lives. I'd rather you do it here rather than in the middle of Arendelle; that way, I don't have to worry about looking after you."

Kristoff offered her a guilty grimace, but the determination remained etched on his face. "I froze up then," he said. "It won't happen again."

The former Knight frowned. "Even if it doesn't...how exactly are you going to be useful to us, again? You're strong, but you can't climb. I think the guards in Corona can testify to that. You don't know how to fight. Look, Kristoff...I know you want to help, but there's a lot more at stake here than your personal ego. We're breaking into the most secure prison in the country, and if we fail, all of humanity is screwed."

Teeth clenching, Kristoff could only glare at her with impotent anger. Anna knew her words were harsh, but they were all too true. Drell was being held in the Tower of Venesala, a massive structure situated at the center of the city with which it shared a name. Grand Pabbie had spent the past two days making replicas of the potion of concealment that Kristoff had not-so-spectacularly used in Corona, but even with that advantage, Anna and Eugene (both excellent climbers) would be hard pressed to sneak in undetected.

"How about a compromise?" Anna turned to see Eugene walking towards them. "Kristoff can come with us to the city, and help keep watch as we sneak over the walls. He won't come in the prison, and he'll stay away from any guards he sees. Fair enough?"

Anna let out an exasperated sigh,. "…Fine."

She had little time to argue the point. They would be leaving for Venesala the next day, and Anna's mind was still in turmoil regarding their 'plan'. Thinking of Drell brought up memories that were second only to thoughts of Elsa in terms of sheer mental pain. All that time they'd spent together...training, going through the forms, laughing about the absurdities of Castle politics...he'd been thinking of ways to murder her.

Even though he'd turned out to be right about Elsa, Anna would never be able to forgive him for so willfully discarding her life...and the lives of countless innocents who'd suffered during the rebellion he had masterminded. Anna didn't doubt that part of Drell had cared about her. Somehow, it only served to make the memories even more painful.

Unfortunately, Eugene wasn't done with her just yet. Now that she focused on him clearly, Anna could see the familiar sword he was half-halfheartedly concealing behind his back. Noticing her gaze, the Prince frowned ruefully and presented the blade to her.

"You need a weapon, Anna. The best weapon. This sword is lighter and harder than anything I've ever seen. I...I know how you must feel about it, but we can't afford to give up the few advantages we have," he said.

Her sword. Elsa had given it to her on Anna's 'birthday', a day that the Queen had arbitrarily chosen after Anna had revealed that she had no idea when she was born. No...don't think about that...she tried to tell herself as another wave of heartbreak rushed through her.

It was a beautiful weapon. With a handguard in the shape of Arendelle's symbolic crocus flower and a blade composed of pure blue ice, it was as pleasant to look upon as it was deadly. Elsa's financial wealth and magical abilities had combined to give Anna the sharpest and hardest sword in the known world. The weapon had been by her side for months, protecting her from nearly all harm. Just like Elsa had been.

The gift had been just another part of a lie, designed to manipulate Anna into falling ever further into love with a woman who would never feel the same. But while Elsa's intentions may not have been pure, the blade itself was still as strong and sharp as ever. Eugene was right; she couldn't let sentimentality prevent her from using an ideal weapon.

Wordlessly, she took it from his hands and shoved it into the sheath already on her belt.

"Someone's coming!"

\

Even with the cover of darkness, Evangeline had eventually been spotted.

She couldn't see the campsite, but thanks to the Goddess's instructions, she knew where it was. And while the barrier that surrounded it prevented the spymaster from seeing directly into it, the sounds that its occupants made were all too audible.

Evangeline teleported directly in front of where she knew the barrier to be. Immediately, she knew that passing through would be a bad idea. The spymaster didn't know precisely what would happen, but she sensed a stirring of hostile power emanating from the barrier. Although the trolls' magic was nothing compared to that of her Goddess, that did not mean it wasn't formidable.

Teleporting through would likely end just as badly...if it had even been possible. The spymaster could only travel to places that she could see at the current moment, and the barrier preventing eyes on the outside from looking in.

A small purple figure suddenly appeared before her, standing at the barrier's threshold. The wizened old troll that stood before her was just at the edge of the magical protection...still inside the shield, but visible to those outside the barrier.

"I am called Grand Pabbie. Who are you, and what is your purpose here?" he asked simply. Evangeline smirked, pleased by his straightforward questions. The less time she spent here, the better.

"A loyal servant of the Divine Empress, this planet's one true ruler. She bears you and your people no ill will, but it has come to her attention that you are harboring two of her enemies. Give me the Coronan Prince and the Arendellian sneak-thief, and neither she nor her subjects will trouble you again," Evangeline offered.

The troll shook his head sagely. "I know not of whom you speak. An Arendellian woman did come to us some months ago, seeking to relinquish some painful memories, but she is long gone from our camp. And to the best of my knowledge, I have never met a Coronan Prince."

Evangeline chuckled, but the mirth never reached her eyes...eyes that were now staring directly into the troll's own pupils. "I will only say this once, so listen well. Our Empress is only months away from regaining all of her former power. When that happens, nothing on this earth can hope to stand against her. Produce the fugitives now, and she will leave you in peace. If not, you and all of your people will die. That," she smiled, allowing her hand to drift lightly onto the hilt of her sheathed sword, "Is a promise."

Pabbie frowned. "And I repeat, we do not-"

"Enough," a familiar voice spoke. "She knows we're here, and Elsa's going to burn this place to the ground no matter what you do. So tell me, Evangeline...what the hell do you want?" Anna demanded as she stepped into view, stopping right next to the old troll.

The spymaster couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of the younger woman. Scarcely a day had gone by during her stay in the Castle that Anna had failed to prance around the halls, happy to the point where Evangeline had been surprised that even the servants hadn't found it sickening. The Knight had been so full of life, ecstatic to be warm, fed, and sharing a bed with a Queen...instead of sleeping out in the snow like she'd deserved. And Evangeline had been forced to completely hide her displeasure for an entire year, only able to dream of the day that the red-haired thief would be put back in her place.

That day had long since passed, and the results were glorious. Simply looking at Anna was enough to ascertain that the younger woman had spent several months as cold and hungry as ever, but the pleasure of that realization was nothing compared to the utter glee she gained simply by looking into Anna's eyes. The former Knight had been broken. Blue pupils that had once been so full of life and happiness had been replaced a dull, constant anger. And beneath that mask of rage was a frightened, depressed girl doing anything she could to avoid confronting her grief.

"It's wonderful to see you again, Anna. You're looking...well."

Anna tried her best to hide it, but the spymaster could see her face twitch in rage. "What do you want, Evangeline?" she demanded.

"You're being blunt. Out of respect for that, I will return the favor. You know that Elsa is preparing to enact her ritual, and that there's nothing you could do to stop it. She sits at the center of her Castle, surrounded and protected by the most powerful members of the Faithful. The parlor tricks of these purple rocks cannot hope to match our power; neither can you and your Prince defeat us with your blades. Your own magic is long gone...removed by the Goddess long ago," Evangeline intoned.

"Your point?" Anna asked. "I'd rather die fighting than spend eternity as one of Elsa's ice statues."

Evangeline shook her head. "You don't have to do either. The Goddess holds no ill will for her family members. And although she grew tired of your company, Elsa appreciates your role in safeguarding her from Drell's Order. If you all surrender, she will allow you to live out your days in a...comfortable prison."

No sooner had she had the words then a third emissary stepped into view. The dark drown hair, tan face, and ridiculous goatee he sported marked him as the Coronan Prince. To his credit, Eugene's sword was already unsheathed and leveled in Evangeline's direction.

"Cut the crap. Thanks to your utterly insane cultists, my brother-in-law is lying in a coma! My pregnant wife was stabbed and nearly killed by one of your spies," he hissed. "And you expect us to believe that she appreciates Anna? If so, trying to kill her and throwing her in a dungeon for absolutely nothing was a fabulous way of showing it."

"I'd reconsider your attitude if I was you, Your Highness," Evangeline replied with a calm smile. "The day of the Winter Solstice, the Goddess's magic shall sweep over the entire world. You have less than two months before the world cowers before an all-powerful Goddess. Tell me...do you think your child will be born by then?"

Eugene's fists clenched, but the Prince remained where he was. Anna, however, had unsheathed her sword and was clearly on the verge of leaping through the barrier. And if that happened, she would be defenseless before Evangeline's abilities...sword or no sword. The Prince, no doubt, would end up following her to her death. Perhaps this would be easier than any of them had realized.

"You know, Anna, you're lucky you escaped when you did," the spymaster said, deciding her abandon her pretense of offering a peaceful surrender. "That scar on your cheek hasn't really healed well, has it? You're lucky you escaped from the dungeon when you did; Elsa was planning on giving you a matching mark on the other cheek the next morning. We still have the brand ready-"

Anna leapt forward, snarling viciously as she angled her sword for Evangeline's neck. For a moment, the spymaster's heart soared as Anna darted within inches of her grasp. Then a strong arm shot out from the Prince, blocking his friend's path and hauling her further behind the barrier.

"No, Anna!" he warned, again shoving her back as she made another attempt to reach Evangeline. "She can teleport- the trolls saw that. We leave the barrier, and she kills us. Why do you think she's here in the first place?"

The rage on the former Knight's didn't diminish, but Eugene's words were enough to convince Anna to stop struggling. Evangeline cursed the Prince's foresight, but that didn't mean her presence here would be a complete waste. Already, she had scoped out for any other magical defenses in the area, and there were none. Plus, there was the matter of her other objective.

She shook her head disdainfully at the pair. "Well done, Your Highness, well done indeed. Unfortunately, this little barrier won't protect you from the Goddess's wrath. The day of the winter solstice, her power will spread across this entire earth; it will brush aside these rocks and their parlor tricks within seconds. If you're smart, you'll kill yourselves before that happens; death is so much quicker than remaining stuck as an ice sculpture for eternity. I hope you gave your lovely wife the same advice."

The Prince frowned. "As a matter of fact, I-"

Then, without warning or hesitation in his speech, Eugene whipped his arms forward...throwing his sword like a javelin! The blade was not a weapon made for throwing, and in the few feet it traveled the point dipped from Evangeline's chest towards her thighs.

The barrier blocked hostile attacks- to an extent -from the outside, but the reverse was not true. Evangeline's reflexes were razor sharp thanks to her decades of training, but they were not enough to entirely save her. She rolled to the side, avoiding a full-on thrust into her flesh, but the blade still cut deep into the side of her right leg.

Pain! Never had she been wounded so grievously. And it had been by an Ungifted, no less! Her weakened leg stumbled, and the furious spymaster crumpled to her knees. A dart of movement out of the corner of her eye alerted her to the fact that Anna was once again charging forward...and this time, the Prince was not stopping her.

She glanced to the right, allowing her field of vision to drastically expand. The moment before Anna's blade could reach her neck, Evangeline traveled swiftly though the darkness. By the time the former Knight realized what had happened, her enemy was a hundred feet away.

For a moment, Evangeline considered going back and killing both of her assailants, but a glance down at the blood gushing out of the wound quickly dispelled that idea. The spymaster was in no shape to fight. Given enough time, the wound itself might be enough to kill her on its own.

Ruefully, Evangeline turned away from the campsite and started to teleport down the mountain. All the while, both of her hands pressed hard down on the wound, stemming much of the flow. Thanks to her abilities, Evangeline would reach the nearest settlement well before she bled out. And she had more than enough money to pay a healer. With luck, she would recover in time for the true assault.

The Prince would pay. She had already planned to kill him, of course, but that was no longer nearly enough. After he and Anna fell to the power of the Faithful, Evangeline would beg the Divine Empress leave to travel to Corona. There, she would do what their previous agent had failed to accomplish.

Eugene's unborn child would drown in its mother's blood.

\

November 4

They left the next morning. There was nothing to gain by waiting, and if Evangeline returned before they left, their quest was over before it began. Eugene had received one of Pabbie's anti-locator spells, and the trio had departed as soon as the two batches of concealment elixir were finally prepared.

Pabbie remained uncowed by Evangeline's threats. Anna and Eugene both suggested that the trolls abandon the camp and find somewhere else to settle; Elsa's minions knew exactly where to find them, and were now also aware of the fact that the trolls were harboring their enemies and preparing to counteract their plans. But the old troll was confident in the power of the barrier, a defense that had taken decades to create, and believed that leaving would make them far more vulnerable. A siege was a possibility, he admitted, but if that was the case the trolls were more than equipped to sustain themselves indefinitely.

It was on the first night of their journey that Kristoff made his request. He approached the Prince, holding out the borrowed sword he had taken from the trolls' camp, and simply said, "Teach me."

Eugene eyed him skeptically. "If that's what you want; it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment," the Prince replied hesitantly. "But, to be honest, I doubt it will do much good. We have less than two months to confront Elsa, and learning how to wield a blade with any sort of skill takes nearly half a year."

Kristoff couldn't suppress the frown that broke across his face.

With a wry smile, Eugene placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You already have the strength, and that's a good start. But technique is all-important, and striking a pickaxe into a mountain isn't exactly similar to fighting with a sword."

A short, humorless laugh drew his attention to Anna. "I was a natural with a blade, and it still took me three months to hold my own with soldiers in terms of skill. Something tells me you won't show quite as much aptitude."

"I think the magical powers you were lucky enough to have played a big part in that," Eugene snarked. Anna merely fixed him with a hard glare before storming off into the trees, muttering that she needed to find firewood.

Kristoff sighed. "You shouldn't tease her." Calling up memories of her former life wasn't going to do Anna any favors.

"Maybe not," the older man agreed with a tinge of guilt, "Anyway...back to your situation. I'm not saying I won't train you; any little bit of skill might make the difference in the end. But don't expect to be charging into waves of enemies at once, striking down soldiers left and right."

The ice-harvester nodded firmly.

"Then let's get started."

\

For the next three nights, their campsite was filled with the clacking of wood on wood as the two men went about with their exercises. Anna did her best to tone the noise out; it reminded her too much about her early days training with Drell. Unsurprisingly, Kristoff had been disappointed to learn that training with their steel weapons was out of the question. Finding out that most of his instruction would consist of learning and practicing the various forms of bladework rather than actual sparring was an even larger blow to his eagerness.

Yet Anna watched as he continued on, his lips set in a determined line. As she'd predicted, Kristoff was by no means a natural swordsman, but his determination coupled with Eugene's patient instruction did produce some noticeable improvement. With luck, by the time Winter Solstice arrived, he would be able to temporarily fend off a trained soldier.

Anna couldn't fathom what good that would do. Even skilled swordsmen such as Eugene and herself weren't an even match against a talented mage...let alone Elsa herself. But if training made Kristoff feel better, he was welcome to do it.

At times, she picked up her own blade and sparred with Eugene, steel against ice. To Anna's relief, her skill with the blade hadn't atrophied nearly as much as she'd expected given her year-long hiatus. It wasn't enough to make her Eugene's equal; without her powers, her natural skill and year of training were enough to allow her to hold her own against Prince's near-decade of experience, but no more than that. To his credit, Eugene abstained from mocking her, and for that she was grateful.

The exercise was enough to briefly drive thoughts of Drell and Elsa from her mind, but each night they returned long before Anna drifted off to sleep. A thousand concerns weighed on her soul. Would Drell be willing to assist her? Could he assist her? She spent hours on end thinking about what she would say to him, yet her mind refused to provide her with more than the faintest of ideas.

\

November 8

Through the window of the room at the inn, the three travelers could clearly see both the Tower Prison itself and the massive wall that enclosed its surrounding courtyard. The sun was still high in the afternoon sky, leaving them several hours to plan.

"You could climb over the wall, ambush two of the guards on patrol, remove the invisibility spell, and then steal their uniforms. All you'd have to do then was wait for the next shift change; when the patrols switched, you could go with the rest of the guards and make your way inside," Kristoff proposed.

Anna resisted the urge to laugh. "Are you serious? This is the most secure prison in the country! They check the identities of the guards before they make their way inside. I was Elsa's Personal Attendant for a year; I learned a few things. You think we're the first people to try to break into a prison? They know the usual tricks."

"She's right," Eugene agreed. "These guys aren't going to be fooled by any amateur-hour crap. The good news is that they've probably never had to deal with a spell of concealment before. That's our one advantage, and we have to use it right."

With a sigh, Anna pulled back from the window and sat down on the carpet. "It's not our only edge. Both the wall and the Tower itself are strong, but they're also old. There's enough chips and breaks in both that the two of us could climb up and over without too much difficulty. The only question is how to avoid being spotted."

"The spell-" Kristoff started.

"Doesn't make us completely invisible. With enough torchlight and enough time, the guards will almost certainly notice us before we can climb the Tower itself; they might even spot us making our way up the outer wall. And each guard stationed on the wall stands next to a torch. If we knock out the one in our way...and we will definitely need to do that...it won't be long before the other guards notice that a man is missing," Anna finished solemnly.

Eugene frowned. "Once we make it to the top, I can take the counter-spell and remain behind. I'll throw on the jacket of whatever guard we take out and take up his torch; there's enough distance between each man on patrol that the others won't be able to tell the difference."

"Even still, it's too dicey. If we're unlucky, which we usually are, the rest of the guards will notice us ambushing our target. And even if you do manage to take his place, that leaves me to make my way across the courtyard and climb into one of the Tower's windows. It will be a miracle if I'm not spotted."

The Prince bit his lip, staring down at the floorboards in an uncharacteristic display of hesitation. "There's...a church nearby, right?" he asked, his eyes moving to the window. "One of those Pacifist churches. Big wooden building, easily visible from the outer wall?"

"Yeah," Anna replied uncertainly, unsure of where he was going with this.

"Do they hold ceremonies at night?"

\

Eugene hated himself.

The Prince wasn't the biggest fan of organized religion, but he respected the rights of others to believe whatever they wished...so long as they did not impose those beliefs on others. The Pacifist church was an old, relatively small religion that emphasized a rejection of modern technology in addition to a total commitment of non-violence...even for the purpose of self-defense. But however inane their tenants were, its members mostly kept to themselves, and rare was the occasion that they attempted to meddle in the affairs of others. None of them deserved this.

"No one will be in the church at this time of night," Anna said, keeping her back pressed against the wall of the alley they were lurking in. Fifty feet away, the outer wall awaited...ten meters high and patrolled by over a dozen men. "There's a lot worse that would happen to them if we fail." Her voice was firm, but Eugene could tell she was trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to comfort him.

It's for Rapunzel. Her, and our child. "What if it spreads? There's more than one building really close to the church. Even if the city guards respond quickly, it might grow too fast for them to control."

Anna winced, but there was nothing for her to say.

It started just after midnight. A speck of reddish yellow visible in the distance, it soon ballooned into a conflagration that threatened to consume the entire church. By this time, Kristoff would be sprinting away from the church towards the edge of the sitting, leaving behind the fire he had created.

Shouts echoed through the air as panicked residents attempted to rouse the Watch and evacuate all of the nearby buildings. In the chaos, no one noticed the two fugitives both sprinting towards the outer wall, both rendered almost completely shaded out of view by Pabbie's concealment spell.

The guards stationed both in the Tower and on the outer wall itself would be far too disciplined to leave their posts in response to the fire. With luck, however, the vast majority of their attention would be fixated on the blaze that threatened to destroy one of the city's largest and oldest buildings.

Then they were climbing up the wall, one loose brick at a time. Forcefully pushing thoughts of the fire to the back of his mind, Eugene placed his attention on the guard stationed several meters above him. If the man managed to loose a shout, all of their sacrifices and careful planning would come to nothing.

He needn't have worried. As he reached the edge of the wall...several feet to the right of the guard, he could see that the man's gaze was fixed on the burning church. Drawing upon his years of practice, the Prince silently hoisted his way over the ledge and landed on the top of the wall. Only the very edges of the guard's peripheral vision would have been capable of spotting him, and thanks to Pabbie's spell, it was not enough.

Eugene's fist crashed against the back of the man's skull, sending him falling to the stone below with nothing but a soft groan. A quick check of his person confirmed the man to be unconscious. Nodding in satisfaction, the Prince hurriedly released the antidote to Pabbie's spell. Now fully visible, he snatched the jacket off the guard's prone form and placed it on himself, before dragging the body out of view of the torchlight.

He glanced silently at Anna as she crept over the ledge of the wall, still shrouded by the spell of concealment. She nodded before hurrying to the other side of the wall and beginning to scurry down towards the courtyard. With any luck, it would be deserted at this time of night.

All the Prince would have to do now is stand at his post. A quick glance in both directions told him that the other guards had not noticed the brief altercation, distracted by the fire below. Now, he only had to wait for Anna's return, being alert for any signs that the downed guard was stirring back to consciousness. Thanks to their surveillance during the past night, Eugene knew that the next shift change would not occur for several hours.

It was with both relief and regret that he noticed that the fire continued to burn.

\

Anna crept along the hallway, holding her sword at the ready. Running across the courtyard had been easy enough, and Anna had made far more difficult climbs than her trek up to one of the Tower's second story windows. Now, of course, came her more difficult task. Most of the guards were asleep in their quarters, but for the moment that was as much of a curse as it was a blessing.

She needed someone to interrogate, or finding her former teacher would be an impossibility. It wasn't the keys to his cell she was after...Anna knew those were probably far out of her reach...but simply his location. Each cell in this prison was hidden from view by a wooden door, one designed not as an extra layer of security but as a way to keep prisoners in the dark. Men bereft of light were more likely to become resigned to their fates.

"My god..." a small, shocked voice echoed from around the corner. Hardly believing her luck, Anna peered around the corridor to see a single woman standing at one of the windows, staring out at the growing blaze. She was young, only a few years older than Anna, with a long mane of blond hair not yet marred by streaks of gray. If not for the uniform she wore, Anna would never have guessed that she was a guard.

Anna wouldn't have survived years of thieving if she hadn't learned to move silently. Creeping up behind the woman, Anna waited until mere inches separated them to throw her sword around her throat.

"Scream, and you die." An idle threat, but this woman didn't need to know that.

For a few moments, the only sound that erupted from the guard's mouth was heavy, laborious breathing. "I-I...what do you want?" Anna's prisoner finally managed. "I don't have the keys to the cells; they're locked in the captain's offices."

"Arms Master Drell. A traitor that the Queen imprisoned over a year ago. Where is his cell? Tell me, or I'll find another guard who will. I'm not trying to release him, but I need to speak with him," Anna said. "Tell me, or you will regret it." Elsa will make sure of that. "Refuse to answer, and you die. Lie, and I'll come back to finish the job. Now talk!" she hissed.

Squirming in Anna's grip, the guard accepted the inevitable. "Top...top floor. The second cell on the right in the first cellblock. Please...I have a husband...we're going to raise a family...don't take that from me-"

"I won't," Anna answered. "In fact, I'm your only hope of ever achieving that dream." And in the older woman's moment of confusion, the former Knight briefly retracted her sword before slamming the pommel into her prisoner's skull. It was a hard blow- Anna had to ensure she didn't wake for several hours -but despite the thin line of blood running along the floor, she was confident that the guard would live.

Now that she was inside the prison itself, perhaps Kristoff's initial idea would hold some merit after all. Anna quickly took the antidote to Pabbie's spell before placing the guard's uniform on herself. This deep into the prison, she doubted that any of the remaining guards would suspect an infiltrator. Quietly, the former Knight finally placed her victim's prone form inside one of the outer cell doors, hoping the prisoner inside the inner bars was too deep in sleep to notice.

\

No one challenged her as she made her way through the prison; the few guards who glimpsed her way were too intent on watching the efforts to fight the fire to care about a face they didn't immediately recognize. From the sound of things, the City Watch were waging a pitched battle against the flames, and Anna was tempted to pause and glance at their efforts. No. I have to stay focused. Their sacrifice…the sacrifice we forced on them…has to be worth it.

In no time at all, she had arrived on the top floor of the prison. It was utterly devoid of guards. It was at that moment, with no opposition left between Anna and her destination, that all of Anna's misgivings returned- stronger than they had ever been. Part of her had never believed she would make it this far; now, there was no avoiding a confrontation with her devout teacher and hated enemy.

It can't be worse than spending eternity as an ice sculpture. Right?

Step by step, Anna walked towards the cell, stopping only to snatch a torch from the wall. For a brief moment, despite all that depended upon her desperate hope of Drell's knowledge, part of her hoped that the guard below had lied. But as she pushed the wooden door open and held the torch aloft, Anna knew that it was not to be.

"I knew you'd come sooner or later," Drell said. "I believe we have some things to discuss."


	83. Fallen: Chapter 16

November 8

"This is why you should never do anything without me."

Evangeline scowled. "I accomplished my objectives; this scar doesn't matter in the slightest. You've been stationed in Albion for three years, doing nothing but keeping tabs on the King's movements. How many times was your life in the slightest danger?"

Roman offered her a cocky smile, casually twirling a levitating pebble above his palm as he spoke. "Last I recall, you were the one who had me placed in that backwater. It was partially thanks to my intel that you were able to enact your brilliant distract-Elsa-with-a-war plan. How did that turn out, by the way?"

He was even more annoying when he was right. Roman was only thirty years old, but as an experienced mage capable of manipulating the earth itself, he was one of the Faithful's most valuable operatives. Unfortunately, his greatest source of pleasure in life appeared to be taunting and/or flirting with every female the Faithful counted among their ranks.

Roman had arrived shortly before Evangeline's return from her expedition, limping on a leg that had been mended by one of the worst healers the spymaster had ever seen. The Goddess had been disappointed to see her wounded, but was still pleased by the knowledge of Evangeline's successes. Knowing of the spymaster's importance to their assault, she had quickly healed Evangeline's leg with her own magic.

"All that matters is that this attack succeeds," the spymaster replied curtly. "I trust that you're ready to go into actual combat for once?"

If she'd intended to rile him, her effort had failed. "Always ready my dear. Always ready. Don't worry; before we leave, I'll make sure to grab some bandages from the infirmary. You know, in case an Ungifted manages to scratch you again."

Evangeline rounded on him, prepared to strike the insolent mage in the cheek, but Roman was already gliding away. The ground beneath his feet bent to his will, propelling the mage away swiftly and leaving the spymaster to come up with some difficult excuses for the servants who would have to repair the damage to the Castle's ground floor.

\

Anna said nothing, simply glowering at the man seated before her. A year in prison had not been kind to her former teacher. The heavy beard and long hair that now adorned his face were some of the less surprising changes. Based upon the angles of his legs on the floor, Anna could tell that they had been broken...probably repeatedly. The hastily mended cuts on his cheek and forehead only provided further evidence to the brutal interrogation he had undergone. Thoughts of her own torture reared in her mind, threatening to destroy any composure Anna had managed to retain.

Worst of all were the scars along his arms. It was evident that he'd been bitten...repeatedly, by a large and vicious animal. How he had survived such an ordeal without the beast simply going for his neck, Anna didn't know. And she wasn't very keen on finding out.

"Aren't you going to say hi to your mentor?"

Anna's cheeks went red with rage. "You aren't my mentor! I don't care if you were right about Elsa; it doesn't change anything about how I feel about you! All that time, I was nothing but a necessary casualty in your eyes. How many times during my training did you consider gutting me the second my back was turned?"

Drell frowned. "I never wanted your death. Yes, I was willing to count you as a sacrifice. Just as I was willing to sacrifice myself and any of my men to save the world. Are you any different, Anna?"

Fist clenching, the former Knight forced herself not to scream. "Yes. I would never sacrifice an innocent to achieve my goals! I would always find another way. That's something that you never bothered with!"

"You truly believe that attacking the Castle was my first choice? I regret every death that happened that night, but if I had to do it over again, I would. Just like I'm sure you wish that you didn't have to set fire to that Church just to sneak in and see me. The guards in this cellblock mentioned that it was quite a blaze before they hurried downstairs."

A jolt of dread shot into Anna's heart. "That's different! No one would be in that Church this time of night. Property damage is one thing. Taking innocent lives is another," she said firmly.

Drell's lips betrayed the ghost of a smile. "And what if the fire spreads, Anna?"

"It won't!"

"Probably not," her former teacher agreed. "But there's a chance that it might...a chance you were very well aware of when you decided to put that plan into action. You and I both know that everyone on this planet is doomed; if a few have to be sacrificed to give a chance to the many, that's a choice you must be strong enough to make."

Anna was more than a little unsettled by his words, but she refused to show it. "Risking the remote chance of the fire spreading is a lot different than organizing an uprising that would inevitably kill hundreds!" she hissed.

"Is it really?" Drell questioned. "It proves that you're willing to risk innocent lives for the greater good. That's nothing new. How many of David's guards did you kill to save Elsa while you were in Corona? Most of them were normal men, simply doing their jobs, and you struck them down with hesitation. Am I right?"

The former Knight clenched her teeth, saying nothing.

"Tell me Anna, if you were taken back in time to the night I asked you to join us, what would your answer be? Knowing what you know now, would you have killed Kale for the opportunity to put a blade in Elsa's heart? You don't have to admit it to me. Admit it to yourself."

Anna was silent.

Drell sighed. "You didn't come here to argue with me. I knew it was only a matter of time before Elsa revealed the truth to you. I can see that you didn't take it very well. And now, you want to ask me how to can stop Elsa before her ritual takes effect."

Anna's eyes widened. "How can you know about the ritual?" she blurted out.

"Evangeline and her little friend have been here on several occasions," he said with a grimace. "They've been trying to break my spirit ever since I arrived here; they want me to tell them everything I know about the rest of my Order. Not that there was much to tell; few of us remain at large. Evangeline took great pleasure in telling me how Elsa's magic will consume the world as soon as the next Solstice arrives."

"Then get to the point and tell me how to stop it!"

\

Dong! Dong!

Eugene glanced away from the fire as the bells echoed throughout the night. Immediately, the rest of the guards on station began to move. By the light of the torches, the Prince could see them begin to walk away from the ramparts. His heartbeat rising, Eugene looked down into the courtyard to see the next shift change of guards already making their way to the wall.

No! Anna, Eugene, and Kristoff had been very careful with their observations the previous night. The next patrol of guards wasn't scheduled to start for another three hours! Yet there they were, steadily approaching. His stomach sinking, Eugene realized the terrible, awful truth: each shift change occurred at a random time in the night, making break-ins much harder to plan. If only they'd waited another night, they would have known.

Now, it was too late.

Feeling like the world was closing in around him, the Prince considered his options. If he bolted down the wall now, he would likely escape. Unfortunately, that would put the entire prison on high alert. Anna would be found within minutes. If he stayed, the other guards would likely see through his disguise, but at least the attention would be focused on him.

Then there was the matter of the unconscious body of the guard that Eugene had replaced...

\

"You know more about the gods than anyone besides the Faithful! There has to be some way to interfere with her magic," Anna said.

Her heart sank as Drell shook his head. "I had no idea that Elsa would even need to use a ritual to conquer the world. I know as much about the process as you do...possibly even less. If you want to stop her, your only chance is to kill her."

Nothing. After all this planning, all these risks...it was all a waste. Just like everything else in Anna's entire life.

"Evangeline did let slip that the ritual has somewhat weakened Elsa's powers for the moment. I trust you still know how to use your sword. If you can reach her, there's a chance you could put an end to her before she can finish her spell. If she dies, all of that magic she's built up would probably just fade away. Unfortunately, in your present state of mind, there's little hope that you would succeed."

"What are you talking about?" Anna demanded.

Drell offered her a sad smile. "I trained you for months, Anna. I saw you go through more ups and downs than any other student could even imagine. In some ways, I know you better than you know yourself. Right now, you're filled with pain...and it's not because of me. I imagine that ever since you discovered Elsa's true colors, you've coped with your grief only by masking it with constant anger."

"No. It is because of you!" Anna retorted, jabbing her finger in his direction. "You're honestly surprised that I'm angry with you after you nearly killed me? You think that's just a...just a cover for..."

"Grief and rage can be powerful emotions, but when they control you rather than the other way around, you're just setting yourself up to make mistakes. I don't deny that you have the right to be angry with me," he admitted. "But it hasn't been just me, has it? I can see it in your eyes, Anna. Ever since you found out what Elsa truly was, you've been lashing out at everyone around you."

"How can you-"

Drell offered her a sad shrug. "You aren't the woman I spent nearly a year mentoring. The Anna I knew would never have allowed rage to control her so completely, even when dealing with a man who betrayed her...not when the fate of the world was on the line. How long have you been running from your pain? Do you feel the slightest bit better since you started using rage as your shield?"

Anna fought the urge to recoil. Drell was more right than she cared to admit. Ever since Elsa had betrayed her, she'd suppressed her broken heart in any way possible...first by removing her own memories, then by becoming colder and more spiteful than she had ever been. The way she'd been treating her friends was proof enough of that. Even with the world collapsing around her, she couldn't help but feel a sharp tinge of shame.

Her eyes fell to the floor. "I thought if I ignored it for long enough, the pain would start to fade away," she said, more to herself than Drell. "But that's never going to happen, is it? I'll never be the same..." For the first time in months, Anna allowed the mask of rage she hadn't even realized she'd been holding to drop, allowing her true pain to seep into her voice.

"The same?" Drell asked. "No one ever stays the same. Certainly neither of us…not after what we've been through. But that doesn't mean you can't claw yourself out of the hole you've fallen into. Stop hiding from your grief; accept what happened with Elsa, and move past it. If you keep running, that pain will haunt you forever."

The former Knight stared at him, her annoyance rising once again. "Why? What does it matter if I'm miserable or not? All that matters is that we find a way to take Elsa down...and as it appears you can't help me, coming here was a waste of time," she noted bitterly.

Drell returned her gaze, and Anna could almost feel the disappointment in his eyes. "I spent my life trying to stop her. I failed. But I came close more than once, and it was because I didn't let my heart rule my head. You're one of the few people left...perhaps the only person left...who can possibly stand in her way. But if you don't come to terms with her betrayal...with what happened to you, there's no hope. An angry, bitter woman with nothing to fight for stands no chance against a goddess. You'll go into that fight expecting to lose. Part of you will want to lose."

Anna's nostrils flared. "I don't-"

"Really, Anna? There's no part of you that would welcome a release from the pain you're constantly trying to suppress? There's no soft voice at the back of your mind, whispering to you about the comforts of death?"

The worst part of it was that Anna couldn't deny it. Part of her did think that losing wouldn't be so horrible. Whether the afterlife was paradise or nothing at all, in many ways it would be preferable to the suffering that had come to define her life.

Several moments passed, filled with nothing but silence.

"Does it matter?" Anna finally asked, her voice so soft it was barely audible. "The Faithful say that Elsa is destined to win...that prophecy says that her ritual will succeed and return her full divinity. The version you had was wrong."

Drell was incredulous. "And you believe them?" he demanded. "Prophecies are immutable, that much is true. But I don't believe their story about the Order's version being an altered one. Evangeline spun the same tale for me; they're simply trying to discourage us Anna. It's just a lie they've spread through their ranks so that any who oppose them will be filled with doubt."

"No. It isn't," Anna replied, her voice betraying no uncertainty.

"How-"

Anna raised a hand, cutting him off. "During my time with Elsa, I had more than one especially vivid dream. At least, that's what I thought they were. But somehow, I was having visions of the past. I didn't realize what they were...not until the night you revealed yourself. That's when it all came together. I saw the King of the Gods cast his entire race into another dimension. I watched as the Goddess used her magic to shield herself, so that she would be the last one left." I'll never forget those dreams. They were simply too real. I couldn't even manage to remember the names of Elsa's grandparents when Gerda was tutoring me, but I remember this.

Although still clearly confused, Drell nodded slowly. "There are reports of other consorts of the gods in the past having similar visions. And it's said that the King used his magic to transport all of his people to the Realm Beyond, and that Elsa's previous incarnation cast a barrier around herself on the other side of the world. But I don't see how-"

"I also saw the first members of your Order betray the Goddess and destroy her. My last vision, though...I saw the prophecy being made to the members of the Faithful. It was similar to the one you described to me, but not the same. I didn't put it together until Eugene relayed to me what he was told by the maid who nearly killed Rapunzel. The real prophecy says that the 'shall know divinity once more'. Not if."

Drell closed his eyes briefly, as if he could not bear to look at her. "...And your vision?"

"It was less clear than the others," Anna said. "And it got murkier as it went on. But there were some lines that I could hear clearly. The last thing I heard was 'shall know'. Which means..."

Her former teacher was silent for several seconds, but Anna could see the mounting horror seeping into his eyes. "If that's true...if they really are telling the truth about the prophecy...then they're right. There is no hope."

"What?" Anna demanded. She couldn't believe that the man in front of her, a fierce warrior who had dedicated his life to stopping the return of an evil goddess, could be brought so low by a single prediction made by a young girl. "We can't just give up!" Part of Anna might have welcomed death, but she would be damned if she left the rest of humanity behind to suffer without giving everything she had to try and prevent it.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." Drell certainly hadn't been broken before, but he was now. "You think that was the only prophecy made concerning the last two thousand years? More things than you can count have been predicted by Seers...the founding of the Church of Light, the Sixty Year War between Albion and the Southern Isles, the fall of a drop of sunlight to earth...they were all foretold. The Order kept records of these predictions for centuries, and each one came true...without fail. Even in the days of the Gods, no line of prophecy was ever proven wrong."

Anna frowned. "There has to be a first time."

"Thousands before you have said the same thing, all of them determined to alter the future. None ever succeeded. I...if that is truly what the prophecy says...we were doomed from the start. Millenia of preparation, and we never had a chance…"

Anna stood and watched as a man whose strength and conviction she had never doubted, even as she had grown to hate him, fall to the verge of tears.

\

Climbing down the wall was out of the question. If Eugene left, the guards would quickly realize that another infiltrator was likely deeper within the prison. Anna wouldn't have a chance. His approach now was incredibly risky, but if he were caught, at least their attention would be focused on him. Imprisonment or death was the likely result, but if it gave Anna a chance...it gave Rapunzel a chance. That was all that mattered.

Within thirty seconds, he would pass the guards coming up from the next shift change. If by some miracle they didn't notice that he wasn't a familiar face, Eugene just might be able to slip inside the prison undetected. Of course, there was still the matter of the unconscious guard he'd left behind. The Prince had covered him with another dose of Pabbie's concealing potion and dragged him away from the torchlight, but there was still every chance he would be spotted by the next patrol. Or simply wake up.

Here we go.

\

"So, what? You expect me just to lie down and give up?" Anna demanded. "Sorry, not gonna happen. There has to be something I can do!"

Drell's eyes were still rooted on the floor. "Other than die?' he asked morosely. "If that indeed is the real prophecy, there will be no stopping her. I...thousands of years of preparation, all for nothing..." his voice drifted off.

"Then I'll die fighting," Anna vowed. "It seems as good a way as any to go out."

At last, her former teacher's gaze lifted from the ground, and Anna couldn't help but be surprised by the resigned conviction in his eyes. That sensation, however, was nothing compared to the incredulous shock brought upon by his next words. "Despite what you may think, I do care about you, Anna. Humanity may be doomed to death and oppression, but that doesn't mean you have to share in the same fate. Go back to Elsa, tell her you've come around to her way of thinking, and say you'll be happy to stand at her side as she regains her power. Maybe...maybe you'll be able to influence her slightly...make her more gentle..."

"Go...go back to her?!" Anna sputtered. "Don't you know what she did to me?! You think she would take me back?! That's ridiculous; she'd kill me as soon as she saw me. Elsa doesn't love me. She never did."

Drell frowned. "I'd assumed that Elsa revealed to you the truth, and demanded that you join her. When she saw that you would never accept, she intended to imprison you until her ritual was completed and you could pose no threat to her."

"Then you are sadly mistaken," Anna retorted. "Elsa never loved me; the entire time, she was just using me for protection. She never gave me a chance to side with her. Elsa attacked me, nearly killed me, and was going to keep me locked up for the rest of my life. I thought you knew this...didn't you tell me, on the night you revealed yourself, that Elsa didn't love me?"

The former Arms Master looked at her with shock. "I did, but...I didn't believe it. That was the only lie I told you that night. I thought you would be spared when she dominated the earth...I was desperate to win you over to our side," he said, his tone more uncertain than ever. "This doesn't make any sense, she has to love you. Your powers..."

"My powers are gone," Anna said flatly. "The night she turned on me, Elsa said that I have no magic on my own...it was only because she was constantly using her healing magic on me that I developed powers. After she defeated me, Elsa removed all the magic she'd given me."

"You're wrong."

\

Eugene kept his head down, nodding ever so slightly to the first guard coming up the stairs as he approached. All he would have to do is make his way past and...

"Hold on a moment," the guard ordered. A glance at his uniform told Eugene that he was of a higher rank than the other men he'd seen; the Prince had no choice to obey. Hiding a scowl, Eugene stood to attention and faced the guard.

"Where is Jaxton? I thought he was manning Post Eleven for the first shift," the guard asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

It was do or die. Fortunately, Eugene's years of thievery and dodging the law had installed some impressive acting abilities in the Prince. "He was. Unfortunately, Jaxton's claiming that he's ill. I don't buy it, but it's not up to me...the Captain ordered me to take this shift," he answered, not allowing his voice to betray a hint of fear.

The guard's hand drifted slightly towards the hilt of his sword. "What's your name?"

"Merek. Merek Bracken, sir," Eugene replied. His own hand hitched to reach for his own blade, but such an action would obliterate his ruse instantly. He couldn't risk it, to when there was still a chance that this conversation could end without incident.

The Prince's heart plummeted as the guard took another step forward. "Don't recognize the name. And I don't recognize your face. Tell me, 'Merek', who is the officer in charge of this prison?"

That was the point where Eugene knew he'd lost. All of the acting skills in the world couldn't make up for a lack of information. There was no doubt in the Prince's mind that if he failed to answer, the guard would attack. Well, if a fight is inevitable, I might as well be the one to strike the first blow.

He didn't bother reaching for his sword. Eugene's fist lashed out, aiming for the guard's skull. Fortunately, what the guard possessed in intelligence, he lacked in reflexes. The blow hit him square on the forehead, and he crumbled to the ground.

Shouts of alarm echoed from across the courtyard, and Eugene knew it was time to run.

\

"I told you that your powers were the reason we were able to identify Elsa as the Goddess," Drell reminded her.

Anna nodded. She would never forget anything about that night. Drell had explained that his Order had identified both Elsa and Rapunzel as possible reincarnations of the Goddess. Anna's powers had confirmed that Elsa was the one...only a Goddess could give magic to a previously Ungifted mortal.

"That was true, but I didn't tell you the entire truth. A Goddess can't simply give magic to a mortal, it's far more complicated than that," her former mentor revealed. Again, Anna nodded. Elsa hadn't told her everything, but she'd made it obvious that only certain mortals were capable of receiving such power. That was why she had used Anna in the way she had, instead of simply giving magic to some of her loyal guards.

Scowling, Anna turned to glance at one of the cell walls. "I know; not everyone can receive powers from a Goddess...I'm one of the 'lucky' ones. What does it matter? I have no magic on my own, and without it, I'm useless."

Drell's eyes widened. "You truly have no idea..." he mused. "Anna, you're right, only certain individuals can receive powers from a god or goddess. Their children...or those with whom they fall in love."

Letting out a short gasp, Anna took an involuntary step back. "I...I don't understand."

"Several decades before the Cataclysm, the King of the Gods was approached by several of the lesser deities. It had long been common for gods and goddesses to take mortals to bed, but these deities wanted more. They had fallen in love with the mortals they had spent years with, and wished to spend eternity with their lovers. It was beyond the King's power to make these mortals full-fledged gods and goddesses, but he was eventually convinced to grant these requests. He managed to alter the nature of magic...the very fabric of the universe itself," Drell intoned. "Mutual love and affection between a deity and a mortal would change that mortal, giving them magical abilities and eventually granting them a new body...blessed with eternal life and youth."

Anna's mouth gaped open. Already, she had countless questions, yet Drell continued to talk.

"Many of the King's other followers detested this decision, considering it a perversion of reality itself. Matters only grew worse when the King himself fell in love with a mortal woman. He was forced to make her his Consort earlier than intended, giving him little time to prepare for the rebellion. Thus began the Cataclysm," Drell finished.

"...If that's true...what happened to the Consorts?" Anna managed. "If they were able to live forever, where are they?"

Drell frowned. "The Realm Beyond. The King's spell transported both the Gods and their Consorts to that realm. Consorts were not nearly as powerful as the gods themselves, but they were far more dangerous than any mortal...and just like the Gods, they could not be killed. The King intended for humanity to rule itself after his departure, and those on his side in the war would not have wanted to separate from their lovers. Consort or not, there is no returning from the Realm Beyond. Just like the Gods and all of the mortals who have died since the beginning of time, they will remain in that dimension forever."

As he spoke, Anna finally understood what he was getting at. "And you think I'm a Consort?" she asked incredulously. "That's impossible. I loved her, but Elsa doesn't love me. She beat me to the brink of death and took away my powers!"

The former Arms Master glanced down at the floor, still confused. "She took them away during your fight?"

Anna shook her head. "No. They went away afterwards, when I was sitting in the dungeon." Those had been the worst moments of her life. She'd been trapped in the dark, held down by dozens of heavy chains, and been left with nothing to do but confront the web of lies that Elsa had revealed. It was only then that Anna had truly accepted that the Queen didn't love her, and thus finally lost faith in her love of Elsa.

Wait a minute! No...it couldn't be.

Her eyes drifted back to the gruesome scars on Drell's arms. "What gave you those scars?" Anna questioned. Even after all that had happened, she couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her former teacher as she observed the ugly wounds. But there was a thread of suspicion in her mind that had to be answered.

The prisoner's eyes shut tightly. "Part of my torture. Evangeline had the girl sic a starving hound on me. I'd never seen a power like that before...she had perfect control over it. The hound was ravenous, but it never went for my neck. And yet it made the bites as painful as possible."

Anna's eyes widened...her pulse was beginning to rise. "You've never seen a power like that?" she demanded. "You and your people sent a pack of wolves after me, remember? You mean to tell me that wasn't you?"

With a heavy sigh, Drell composed himself. "No. I've never seen anyone possess such an ability, though it has been mentioned in some of the more ancient texts. Still...I don't see why that maid would have sent those wolves after you. Not while Elsa was still benefiting from your protection."

This was all wrong. Anna was missing something...something that would allow his words to make sense. "Drell, I need to know. All of those attacks on me and Elsa...which ones were you behind, and which ones were you not?"

"The assassination attempt on the Winter Solstice was our doing. The group of men who pursued you doing the first night of your subsequent journey were mine as well. We also, as you know, were the ones who masterminded the nobles' uprising against Elsa. I told you the night I revealed myself, Anna, what happened in Lucrania had nothing to do with us," he vowed.

Anna hadn't believed him before. But she did now...he simply had no reason to lie. Overwhelmed by the revelations bombarding her mind, Anna found herself sitting on the stone floor. After the assassination attempt on the Solstice, Anna had voiced her opinion to the Council that there were two distinct groups conspiring against Elsa. Eventually, after Drell had revealed himself and the attacks had ceased, she had come to believe that he was the mastermind behind all of it.

The wolves that had attacked her, the fire-mage that had been waiting for her upon her return, Jocasta...none of that had been Drell's group. Was it the Faithful? It must have been; Jocasta kept saying that Elsa would betray me eventually...she even called me an Ungifted! But why? If they'd been working for Elsa the entire time, why would they have been trying to kill Anna from the start?

A thorn in their side for months...that's what Jocasta had called me. If Drell had been the one responsible for the assassination attempt on the Solstice, then Jocasta must have been referring to the kidnapping plot Anna had thwarted and the other two attacks during Anna's journey to the trolls. Right?

Why would they try to kidnap their own Goddess? Again, why did they want me dead when I was still guarding Elsa? And if Jocasta was a member of the Faithful, why would Elsa have ordered her captured...and why would she have been killed?

There were simply too many questions. Anna knew there was something she was missing...a piece of the puzzle that would allow everything to make sense. But she wasn't Elsa, or Eugene, or Rapunzel. The answers didn't just pop into her head. She needed more information...anything might help.

"The girl who controlled the animals...the ones that...you know..." Anna gestured to Drell's arms helplessly. "Who is she? Did they talk about anything else while they were here? I need anything I can get."

"Oh, you know her well. She was your favorite maid."

Kayla?! The small, innocent thirteen-year-old girl who constantly brought Anna hot chocolate was a member of Elsa's sick cult? Never once had she so much as spoken against Anna...never presenting the slightest sort of threat in any way. To hear that she was a willing participant in Drell's torture sent Anna's mind spinning.

If Drell noticed her shock, he didn't comment on it. "What did they talk about? Nothing important. Evangeline certainly enjoyed taunting me with the fact that one of the most powerful mages in the world today spent years right underneath my nose. She was very enthusiastic about Kayla's abilities. According to Evangeline, Kayla is the only person to be gifted with the ability to control animals in a thousand years; she thinks it was fate, ensuring that the return of the Goddess would be met with a powerful servant."

Her former mentor had revealed far more than he knew. Evangeline had been fully aware that possessed wolves had attacked Anna during that fateful journey. If she was so confident that the only person born with the ability to control animals in a thousand years was Kayla, that meant that those wolves could have only been ordered after her by a single source.

Kayla had tried to kill her. In between the trays of hot chocolate and the soft smiles, she had commanded an attack that saw one of Anna's only friends lose his treasured companion. But the turmoil of that realization was dwarfed by the confirmation that the Faithful had indeed been planning to kill her...several months prior to Elsa's betrayal.

I just don't...I don't get it...

Had the Faithful disagreed with Elsa's use of Anna as a protector, and gone behind her back to try and kill her? No, that didn't make sense. Everything she'd heard about them led Anna to believe that they were fanatically devoted to their Goddess. Her word was their literal gospel. They would never have attempted to kill Anna without the Goddess's approval.

And yet they had done that very thing, several months before Elsa had wanted Anna to die.

A memory leapt into Anna's mind. Towards the end of their visit to Eldora, Elsa had briefly gone missing. Queen Marisol had told Anna that Elsa had gone searching for her...heading towards the Castle's basement rather than Anna's true location in the building's upper levels. The Knight had followed, growing steadily more panicked, until...

"Hello, milady." Kayla was standing in the middle of the hallway, having just been headed for the staircase herself.

"Have you seen Elsa?" the Knight asked immediately.

The young maid nodded. "She was down here, looking for you. One of her guards said that he thought he had seen you come down here, and she was worried that you would accidentally injure Frye. Her Majesty told me to search for you down here, while she went to go search the upper rooms. I imagine she is still up there."

Anna sighed with relief. "I was just up there...must have missed her on the way down," she mused.

Why would Elsa have ever gone down to the basements in the first place? Why had Kayla been down there? At the time, thanks to her trust in the young maid, Anna had been so relieved that those questions had never even occurred to her.

After that day, Elsa hadn't quite been the same as she had been before; until her betrayal of Anna a week later, she was less talkative...less affectionate. Nothing had happened to Elsa during their time in Eldora to warrant such a change; if she'd been attacked, she surely would have mentioned it. Her body had been free of injuries.

Visible injuries.

Anna thought back to her final lucid dream: the giving of the prophecy that had caused Drell to lose all hope. What had been the words? Two...pass...land...flower...reborn...flesh...first...name...weakened...wiped...returned...betrayal...shall know

Wiped...Anna was fairly confidant that weakened was referring to Elsa's powers; until the ritual succeeded, Elsa possessed only a fraction of the magic she'd wielded as a Goddess. But what had been wiped? And returned?

He says that as a Consort of a Goddess, I had my abilities because of my reciprocated love for Elsa. I didn't lose them until after our fight, when I lost faith in our relationship. Even then, Eugene thinks I still have a small portion of my power left. If Drell's wrong, and Elsa just gave me magic the way I originally thought, why did she wait until after our fight to remove them?

Grand Pabbie said that any malevolent magic inflicted on someone against their will counts as a curse...removable by True Love's Kiss. But he doesn't know everything about magic; Rapunzel's tears proved that. And he didn't know about the gods or their history.

The Faithful had wanted Anna out of the way very badly...it must have been for a reason. If Jocasta had been one of them...and Anna was almost certain she was, then Anna had been frustrating their plans for months. Could that really extend to the very first kidnapping attempt Anna had thwarted? The lead kidnapper had made it utterly clear that he couldn't kill Elsa, and he'd been very annoyed by the comments the traitorous guards had made about their hatred of magic and its wielders as they'd rode towards Hammerfest. The port of Hammerfest.

What if they'd been trying to take Elsa...

"Where did it happen, Drell? The ritual that destroyed the Goddess and sent her essence scattering for thousands of years? Where did it happen?" Even as she asked, deep in her heart, the former Knight already knew the answer.

The former Arms Master gazed upon her wearily. Months of confinement and torture had robbed him of most of his energy, and the confirmation that Evangeline's version of the prophecy was correct had sapped him of his spirit. Yet despite all that had passed between them, Anna was still his favorite student. In his eyes, she could see that her former teacher was willing to humor her for as long as he was able.

He took a breath. "Eldora," came the answer.

Anna finally understood.

\

Not Anna…


	84. Fallen: Chapter 17

Eugene blocked and parried like a madman, but the onslaught of blades was beginning to break down his defenses. He'd run as long as he could, darting back up the stairs before sprinting along the wall. But it hadn't been long before the Prince had been cut off, leaving him no choice but to fight.

Only the skill he'd developed through hundreds of hours at the training grounds had enabled him to survive this long. His blade whirled through the air, deflecting attacks with the speed and economy of movement that Thomas had drilled into him. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be long before quality was overcome by quantity.

He'd managed to maneuver himself into the best position possible, keeping all of his opponents in front of him as he gradually backpedaled along the length of the rampart. Yet that would only delay the inevitable. All of the dozen guards that he faced were fighting to kill. Eugene, on the other hand, knew that his opponents were simply men doing their jobs.

None of them knew that they were following the will of the most evil entity to ever set foot on earth. And so he struck only to wound, inflicting stabs and cuts on his opponents that (while not lethal as long as they were properly cared for) would keep them out of action for the rest of the night.

Taking the high road gave his enemies a significant edge, but Eugene had a handful of advantages working in his favor that had so far kept him alive. The width of the ramparts was such that only two or three of the guards could confront him at a time, and their close proximity ensured that they were often hindered by one another. Eugene's training and experience made him individually superior to any of his adversaries; four had already fallen to the ground thanks to wounds he'd inflicted.

But while the narrow space they were fighting in prevented the guards from bringing their numbers to bear, their ability to take turns (and their gradual reinforcements) made it all but inevitable that they would outlast him. Already, fatigue was starting to set in. One mistake, one false step on his part...and it would all be over.

Eugene broke off from his sprint, turning back to face the mass of guards chasing after him. Surprised by his boldness, they hesitated in their approach. The Prince brandished his weapon forcefully, attempting to project confidence. Terror clutched at his heart, but he refused to let these men notice the slightest sign of fear.

He wasn't ashamed to admit that he feared death. To never see his wife again...never meet his child...it was a possibility too horrifying to even contemplate. But the aching in his muscles made it clear that such an outcome was becoming increasingly likely.

It doesn't matter. The only thing worse than dying during this war would be to live to see Elsa cover the world in ice. I'll do whatever it takes to stop that. Right now, he needed to keep the guards' attention for as long as possible. He couldn't win this fight, and he'd never be able to climb back down the wall in time and flee into the city. And something told the Prince that they weren't in a mood to accept a surrender.

Keeping them off of Anna's trail...that was all that mattered now.

The guards at the head of the mob were approaching again. Then, a loud grunt at the back of the mass of men made them stop. Slowly, the dozen odd guards parted ways, allowing their newest reinforcement to step between them.

Eugene suppressed an involuntary shudder. Stepping towards him now was a colossal figure. At least six feet tall and well built, he brandished a massive broadsword in his two meaty palms. A hard, grizzled face was adorned by a mane of black hair that appeared to be graying ever so slightly. He wore a guard's uniform just like any other, but he was clearly no ordinary soldier. His fellows backed away deferentially, allowing him to approach Eugene alone. His steps were slow and purposeful, and he wore an expression of absolute self-assurance.

The Prince was ready. This man lifted his broadsword easily and certainly seemed to know how to use it, but Eugene had trained against this type of opponent before. The lack of available space was a problem, but if this man's allies stayed out of the fight (and they seemed, inexplicably, content to do so) the Prince was relatively confident that he could dart around the cumbersome broadsword and, with luck, cripple his enemy in a single movement.

Then the man lifted one hand off his broadsword, brandishing his palm at the Prince. And Eugene realized that this was a type of opponent that he had never been trained for.

Eugene's body suddenly felt three times as heavy. A massive, irresistible weight grasped at all his limbs. The...force was so great that, within moments, he found himself falling onto his knees. A cry of pain escaped from his mouth as his joints hit the stone and all but cracked under the pressure.

Through his terror, the Prince realized what was happening. Countless hours spent in coerced education centered around science and mathematics 'A Prince needs to understand the finer points of the world!' jolted back into his mind. Gravity, the attractive force that kept all individuals confined to the earth, had suddenly been multiplied.

Unfortunately, all of that education did nothing to give Eugene a way to resist. Observing the air, it was clear that this man's power was affecting a roughly three-foot radius, centered on the Prince himself. If he could just move a few feet away... But it was hopeless. He poured every last ounce of his desperate strength into the muscles of his legs, but he was barely able to move an inch to the side.

They expected this to happen. Eugene knew, even though most of the guards probably didn't, that the man currently keeping him pinned to the ground with a motion of his hand was a member of the Faithful. Elsa had anticipated that someone would try to free Drell, and placed a powerful mage at the Tower to prevent that from happening. The Prince opened his mouth, prepared to utter a desperate warning to the guards about the ruler they were truly serving...and even that was too difficult for his muscles to manage.

His arms fell to the ground. Eugene's wrists cracked against the stone, the sound only muffled by the clang of his sword as it landed right beside them. There was sprinting coming from behind him now...evidently some guards had been smart enough to circle around and hit him from the back, though he couldn't turn his head to see.

It didn't matter now. The Prince was rooted to the ground, and the enormous mage was now hurrying towards him. In his right hand he held the broadsword, and the Coronan saw the man's muscles tense as he prepared to swing it down at Eugene's neck.

As the swipe began, Eugene closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to die. Not now, when he had so much to live for. The Prince couldn't accept his death...was not prepared to face it. Yet the world apparently didn't care. He sent out one last desperate command to his body, begging it to move, and the only response was to shift his neck a millimeter closer to the blade.

CLANG!

Eugene's eyes shot open to see the most astounding sight they had ever witnessed. The edge of the broadsword hovered six inches above his neck. In its path was the tip of an icy blue blade, somehow intercepting the much larger weapon despite its massive disadvantage in leverage.

With a roar, the broadsword was yanked back. Its owner moved to place both hands on the hilt, and with that, Eugene was free. He scrambled away madly, but the Prince had been all but forgotten by the mage. He heaved his weapon forward at his new target: a small, young woman with strawberry blonde hair.

"Anna!" Eugene yelled. The former Knight paid him no attention, raising her sword in a one-handed grip. It was a block that should have hardly deterred the broadsword. But when the blades met, it was the larger sword that recoiled fiercely. Anna's arm barely budged.

The mage recovered, launching himself into a second attack. Anna's arm was a blur of motion as it easily parried the strike off to the side. Her entire body spun, flowing with the momentum and lashing out with a kick at the man's chest. And suddenly a man of over three-hundred pounds was flying through the air, as the petite young woman who had done the deed remained rooted in place, smirking.

Several shouts broke through the night as the mage found his fall halted by the bodies of his allies.

Anna whirled towards Eugene. "Well? Get going! I can hold them off for long enough. Go!"

Finally, shaking himself out of his shock, the Prince jumped to his feet and sprinted towards the ledge. Anna was already moving to engage the remainder of the guards. Four of them scrambled to engage her, attempting to surround the young woman within the narrow confines of the ramparts. They attacked from every direction, each blow intended to kill.

As he vaulted over the ledge, Eugene couldn't resist the urge to briefly turn back and watch. Anna's blade was a whirlwind of steel, intercepting every strike long before it could reach her. The first wave of men fell in seconds, powerless against her inhuman speed. Their only advantage was the former Knight's reluctance to kill, and even that proved to be little defense against her prowess. Two kicks to the stomach, an off-handed punch to the shoulder, and a glancing blow of steel to the thigh were all it took to remove the first four men from the fight.

The last Eugene saw of the battle was a second group of men moving to engage Anna, none of whom managed to conceal their hesitation. Then he was beginning his descent down the wall, and the fight was out of view.

Ordinarily, he would never have abandoned a comrade to fight alone, but the Prince had the distinct impression that his friend was in little danger.

\

It was as if the power had never left her. Anna effortlessly moved her blade through the air, countering each and every move her opponents attempted to make with absurd ease. She felt just as strong and fast as she had ever been, and even her skill seemed to be mostly intact.

Anna had never enjoyed fighting. Sparring, yes, when there were no real stakes involved. But not fighting. Non-lethal or not, she hated to willfully inflict injury on opponents, especially those who were misled rather than truly malevolent. Yet she couldn't deny how good it felt to have her powers back. For over a year, it had been as if her arms and legs had been weighed down by heavy chains, remembering what freedom felt like but unable to so much as taste it.

Now, she simply felt alive.

By now, Eugene would be down the wall and have begun running to their rendezvous point. Soon, Anna would join him, and the three travelers would be hurrying into the forest. With any luck, the dense foliage and moonless night would make their getaway one of relative ease. Still, the guards of this city had horses on hand, while her group did not. There was no leeway to take chances. Anna would not be leaving this wall until all her enemies were disabled or running in terror.

Two of the last men facing her had just chosen to take the second option, throwing down their swords and bolting down the ramparts. It would be some time before they gathered their wits and summoned help...and help was not close at hand. The majority of this garrison, over twenty men in all, were lying wounded and unconscious at Anna's feet. Any pursers would know that a large force would be needed to overcome her, and that would take hours to assembled and organize.

Her fist smashed against another man's temple, and with that, the last of her opponents had been vanquished. Anna was just about to vault over the ledge and jump down the length of the wall when she noticed one man climbing to his feet.

It was the big one. The very same guard who had somehow disabled Eugene earlier. He was almost certainly some kind of mage, probably one of the Faithful sent to keep watch on Drell. If that was the case, it was best that he be killed now. The Goddess's defenders needed to be thinned out as much as possible prior to their final confrontation.

She sprinted towards him, but was only halfway there when the mage's hand stretched out once again. Anna cried out in horror as an unseen force fell onto her body. The mage's power was pulling at her, attempting to grab her limbs to the ground...they suddenly seemed ten times as heavy. A dark smile broke out across his face as the former Knight halted in her tracks.

But his relief was short-lived as Anna remained on her feet, took a deep breath, and continued forward. She wasn't moving nearly as fast as she had been previously, but she was moving. It wasn't easy, but Anna could resist the force acting on her body enough to stand. And continue fighting.

As she approached him, still moving faster than most humans could manage, he dropped his magic and grasped his broadsword with both hands. Anna lifted her blade with one hand and struck hard, but she was still somewhat disoriented by the aftermath of his magic. Her blow landed off center, and the mage managed to deflect it to the side.

Fortunately, he was in no position to retaliate. The force of the attack knocked him off balance, stumbling towards the inner ledge of the wall. Anna's free arm swung out before he could recover, sending him careening into the air, over the ledge, and down towards the courtyard below.

Anna had been confident that the attack would kill him, but she had underestimated his magic. Halfway through his descent, the mage's palm splayed out once again. Whatever magic he had used before was now being employed in reverse. The speed of his fall slowed tremendously, and his feet gently touched down into the grass. Then he was running for the interior of the prison.

Damn! Anna could chase after him and strike the mage down, but it would cost her valuable time. Eugene would be near the rendezvous point by now, and any delay could prove fatal. If the mage found reinforcements, finishing him off could take several minutes. It would have been best if he had been killed, but the man she'd faced tonight was far from the Faithful's most powerful magic wielder. Anna was confident that, if they met again, she could best him quickly.

With that happy thought, Anna ran towards the opposite ledge and vaulted over it. She hit the ground barely a second later, no worse for the wear.

\

Kristoff and Eugene bombarded her with questions immediately, but Anna insisted that they be miles away from the city before the talking began. She grabbed Eugene in her left arm and Kristoff in her right before sprinting into the forest. It was hardly a dignified method of travel, especially for the two men Anna was carrying through the woods, but it was efficient. They never so much as heard their pursuers, and after an hour of running, they agreed to set up a fireless camp.

Anna told them how she'd pieced it all together. Everything that hadn't added up before finally made sense now. The first kidnapping attempt, Anna's powers, Kayla heading her off at Eldora, Elsa's apparent betrayal. Those lines of prophecy in her dreams. The two men were somewhat hesitant to believe her, Kristoff more so than Eugene. Thankfully, the Prince seemed to have regained faith in this cousin-in-law by this point, but Kristoff certainly still had doubts.

It didn't matter. Anna was certain. Thanks to Drell, she had finally managed to connect the dots. Elsa had been possessed by her previous incarnation, the goddess of winter. She'd never turned against Anna; everything between them had been real. And as that realization had dawned, her powers had started to return. That was the last proof Anna had needed, and soon, her magic had come back in full force.

Elsa had loved her. She probably still did. It was the happiest news Anna could have hoped for, far more fulfilling than even the wondrous return of her magic. Yet it was accompanied by a realization nearly too bitter to face.

"I failed her," Anna whispered, staring at the ground. "I could have saved her from being possessed, and I let a little girl stop me with some soothing woods. Worse, I...I fell for that fucking act! Elsa's past incarnation...the goddess...whatever she is, needed less than an hour to convince me that everything had all been a lie. How could I have believed that after everything Elsa had done for me?!"

Eugene shifted closer to Anna, wrapping a reassuring arm around her shoulder. "You weren't alone. We fell for it too. Rapunzel, Thomas, and I have all known Elsa a lot longer than you-"

"But you didn't know her as well as I did. Not even close. I know you loved her, but...it's not the same. Elsa was everything to me. I was her servant, her protector, her lover...her fiancé. When she needed me most, I failed in every one of those roles," Anna replied, struggling to hold back tears.

Eugene shook his head. "You caught on. It didn't take you long to realize she was cursed in some way. Only when using a True Love's Kiss completely failed did you start to believe it. Then she tried to kill you, Anna. That was probably a fairly convincing that she actually hated you."

The former Knight's guilt remained, but he did bring up a good point. Why hadn't True Love's Kiss worked for them when it had for Rapunzel and Thomas? She loved Elsa. Elsa loved her. That should been enough to dispel any curse. The only explanation was that this type of possession somehow did not count as a curse, though it certainly seemed to fit the description.

"I still should have known," Anna protested. "We all know that I'm far from the smartest woman on the planet, but I should have been able to piece it all together with or without Drell's help."

Eugene was about to respond, but Kristoff beat him to it. "Speaking of Drell...did you try to get him out? I know what he's done, but frankly, we need all the help we can get," the ice harvester noted. "Didn't he want to come?"

Anna frowned. She still wasn't sure how she felt about her old teacher. The former Knight knew his intentions had been good, and admired his passion to protect the world. But she would never condone the killing of dozens of innocents that had occurred under his orders. Wanting to get off the subject as soon as possible, she provided her companions with the simpler version.

"He would have. But he was in no shape to get out of that Tower. Even with my powers, I couldn't have taken him far. And they've been...rough...to him. He won't be back in fighting shape for months. There was nothing more he could have done for us," she answered stoically.

Anna moved to leave Eugene's embrace, but the Prince held on. "Anna, this isn't your fault, he said firmly. "Yes, you were fooled. But remember, you had more faith in Elsa than anyone. If what Drell said about your powers is true, then you didn't really accept that Elsa had betrayed you until after she'd beaten you half to death and left you to stew in the dungeon."

"But I still-"

"No! There is no 'but still'. Anna, we can only have as much faith in others as we have in ourselves. After all that's happened throughout your life, you don't have that much confidence in yourself. You can't believe in someone else more than you believe in yourself. How many times have you been betrayed by those who you thought cared for you? For twenty years, the world never gave you reason to trust others. Do you think spending a year with anyone, no matter how good they are to you, can erase all that? You're only human, Anna...well, mostly anyway."

At that, the former Knight couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Look at Elsa. She was fooled by someone she'd known for decades...someone she had complete trust in. Is it really fair to blame yourself for losing faith in your judgment of Elsa, while letting her off the hook for never wising up to the act of a spymaster who played her like a fool for decades?" Eugene prompted.

Anna's teeth clenched. "This isn't Elsa's fault!"

"No, it's not. And it's not yours either. The only people who deserve blame are the goddess and her Faithful. If Elsa were here, she would say the same thing. Well..." he amended with a small chuckle, "She'd probably be blaming herself and completely forgiving you. I'd probably have to give her a pep talk too."

She actually felt a little better. "Thanks, Eugene," the former Knight replied.

No, she corrected herself. Not former. Only the Queen could rescind a Knighthood, and Elsa had never done such a thing. Anna was still and had always been a Lady of Arendelle, betrothed to the monarch herself. Even if no one else recognized that fact.

The Knight gently squirmed out of Eugene's grasp, so she could face both of her friends. "I...think I owe you both an apology. For the way I've been acting, I mean. My life's been...terrible, but that's no excuse to be a complete ass to the people who are trying to help you. And...I'm sorry."

For the first time this night, Kristoff smiled. "I'm just glad you're back to normal," he said.

Anna's mind flashed back to her conversation with Drell. No one ever stays the same. She was certainly in a far better place than she once was, but the same? No. Whether it was based on a lie or not, one couldn't spend over a year grappling with the darkness of her soul and come out the other side completely unchanged. Her optimism wasn't gone, but it had been tempered with harsh reality.

Even before Elsa's possession, Anna had grown into a far different woman than the naive peasant she had once been. Some of the changes had been good. Others less so. She would never forget the first time she'd killed. Even though it had been completely justified, and for the sole purpose of saving an innocent woman who Anna had already owed so much to, actually leaping down from that tree and stabbing the first kidnapper had been the hardest decision of her life. For weeks after, the memory had tormented her mind as she went to sleep.

Now? She'd decided to kill that mage tonight in an instant, simply because he posed a potential threat. If Anna had succeeded, his death would probably not have haunted any of her dreams. It wasn't that she liked killing, and the Knight would still never participate in the death of an innocent. But her mind had long since grown...tolerant of killing.

Anna had weathered poverty for twenty years without losing her idealism. But fighting a murderous conspiracy for over a year had hardened her, and losing her memories had only finalized the process. She truly realized, perhaps for the first time, that her innocence had been shattered long ago.

Maybe that was a good thing. With or without her powers, Anna couldn't stand against the Goddess of Winter as an innocent peasant girl. If she wanted to strike down the members of the Faithful and save Elsa from the darkness that had possessed her, Anna would have to make peace with the hardened warrior that she had become.

Because that warrior was going to make the Goddess pay.

\

Not Anna…


	85. Fallen: Chapter 18

November 10

Having Anna back was surreal. It wasn't fair to say that she was unchanged from her experiences; there was an edge to her that hadn't quite been there before. But at least now she was recognizable as the energetic and compassionate woman the Prince had first met in Corona. She eagerly joined in on his practice sessions with Kristoff, bringing both men to the ground repeatedly without suffering a single scratch on her person.

All the tension that had permeated their camp had faded away. For the first time in recent memory, the three companions had hope. The odds were still against them, but with Anna back in her prime, they stood a conceivable chance against the Goddess and her minions.

Unfortunately, Eugene knew that a certain factor remained undiscussed. And as they traveled ever closer to the trolls, none of the three travelers chose to broach the subject. The Prince himself was loath to bring it up, knowing exactly how Anna would respond. Yet with time running out, the three of them would have to decide on a course of action...and the wisest option open to them was also the most distasteful.

They were sitting around their nighttime fire, less than a day away from the trolls, when the inevitable argument finally began. And to Eugene's surprise, it was the ice harvester who got the ball rolling.

"So...what's our plan?" Kristoff asked hesitantly, his eyes flickering to Anna.

Anna shrugged. "We go back to the trolls and see if Pabbie's cooked up some magic for us that might even the odds. Then the three of us make our way to the Castle. Hopefully, the two of you can distract some of the Faithful, giving me time to reach Elsa."

Eugene couldn't bring himself to ask the obvious, so he watched as Kristoff didn't for him. "Right. And once you get to Elsa...what's your plan?"

Anna frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? I'll talk some sense into her, help her break free of the Goddess that's possessing her," she replied as if it was obvious. Eugene's jaw nearly fell open as he realized that Anna hadn't even considered the alternative. It simply hadn't occurred to her.

The ice harvester winced. "Anna...I'm not sure that's going to work. Elsa has been possessed for over a year now. She nearly beat you to death with a smile on her face and gave assassins leave to assassinate her own family. Don't you think that, if she could break free, she would have done so by now?"

Anna's lips set into a thin, determined line. "Whatever ritual the Faithful performed was obviously incredibly powerful magic, and right now it's keeping her true personality suppressed. But up until now, she's never been faced with someone who knows what's happened to her and is trying to free her. If I can get close to Elsa, and talk to her, I think I'll be able to reach her true personality."

"That's not entirely accurate," Kristoff argued. "When she first betrayed you, didn't you accuse her of being cursed? You tried true love's kiss, remember? Whatever they did to Elsa...we're not dealing with everyday magic here. I don't know if anything can reach her."

Eugene shifted uncomfortably onto the forest floor. As much as the Prince wished it were otherwise, he couldn't argue with Kristoff's logic. Elsa's possession certainly seemed to fit the definition of a curse, and that meant that Anna's kiss should have broken it. Thomas's survival was proof of that. The Faithful's ritual obviously consisted of magic that Grand Pabbie had never even heard of. Getting through to the true Elsa was unlikely at best. There was no guarantee that she still existed.

"We have to try," Anna said firmly.

Sighing deeply, Kristoff shook his head. "It's too risky, Anna. And there's too much at stake. I think we should stick with our original plan. I know it will be difficult, but it's our only chance to-"

"Original plan?!" Anna leapt to her feet, eyes blazing with fury. "You...you want me to kill her!" she shouted in furious realization. "There's no fucking way that that will ever happen. I swear to you Kristoff, that I will save her by any means necessary. I won't stop trying until my blood waters the grass in the Castle's courtyard! And if you- either of you-" she nodded at Eugene, "Try to murder her, I will stop you."

Kristoff rose to his feet as well, betraying none of his initial hesitation. "We have no choice! Anna, I know how much you cared about Elsa. I understand it, I do. But there's more at stake here than one woman's life. Are you really willing to let the entire world suffer for the slim chance of rescuing a single person?"

"Yes," Anna said firmly. "You don't understand. The most important person in your life was a reindeer, Kristoff! Elsa isn't just another person to me...she was my world. I failed her a year ago...I let this happen. Never again. I would kill myself before I hurt her."

Kristoff raised his arms in incredulity, at an utter loss for words.

The Prince looked on both of his companions with sympathy. Kristoff was right, he knew. Anna, normally a paragon of selflessness, was letting her personal feelings completely cloud her judgment. They couldn't take a chance on saving Elsa, the goddess would destroy within moments. Their only chance...the world's only chance...was to strike her down with a lethal blow using the element of surprise.

But he also understood Anna's position completely. If Rapunzel had been the one possessed, and Eugene was the only one capable of killing her...

"Anna, you have to look at the bigger picture," Kristoff finally managed. "Millions, maybe billions of lives are on the line. If the Goddess succeeds in this ritual, humanity won't have the slightest chance of bringing her down for a second time. Mankind will suffer an eternity of torment and enslavement. Do you really want to risk that?"

The Knight stared at him, refusing to back down an iota. "Haven't I done enough for this world? I've rescued Princesses and slain villains and acted the part of the storybook hero. And for what? Humanity has never given a shit about me. No more. I won't kill the only woman who ever loved me to save a world that's treated me like dirt since the day I was born. I owe this world nothing, and I owe Elsa everything."

Deep down, Anna didn't really mean what she was saying. At least, that's what Eugene hoped. Even when she had been at her lowest, Anna had been willing to do anything to protect humanity. It simply wasn't in her nature to turn her back on the world. No matter how cruel fate had been to her, she would always place the lives of others above her own.

The question now was whether she would place the lives of strangers above Elsa's.

Eugene had waited long enough. "Anna," he began, "I can't imagine how you're feeling. If I were told I had to kill Rapunzel, my reaction would be the same as yours. But don't pretend to be what you're not. Even though you've done your fair share...far more than your fair share...you'll keep fighting for humanity until your last breath. Now you have to look past your personal feelings and focus on what's most important. You're free to call me a hypocrite; that's exactly what I am. If I had to choose between Rapunzel and the world, I don't know if I could make the right decision. But you're not me, Anna. Doing the right thing has always been second nature to you. That's exactly why Elsa fell in love with you. What do you think she would say if she were here?"

Anna turned to face him, her gaze unyielding. "I know exactly what she would say. The two of us had this argument more than once when I was her protector. I lost track of the number of times she tried to convince me to value my own life more than hers. Oh, and by the way, it never worked!"

Eugene shook his head. "Of course it didn't. And I imagine that you won every single one of those arguments by pointing out that Elsa's life was more important than yours. Which it was," he added bluntly. "Elsa was the Queen, and the amount of good she could do for the world was far greater than what a lowborn woman could ever accomplish."

"That's still true!" Anna argued. "If we could free her, just imagine what she would be able to do for the world!"

"Maybe," Eugene agreed, "But the odds of that happening are slim to none. On the other hand, unless we...kill her, an eternity of pain and suffering for every kingdom on earth becomes a certainty. Elsa is the single greatest threat humanity has ever faced. And you, Anna, are the single most important person on earth...because you're the only one who can hope to stop her. It's not fair, Anna. It's cruel and it's wrong and if I could take your place I would do it in a heartbeat. But you're the only one with these abilities. "

Anna said nothing.

"You shared...share...an incredible love with Elsa," Eugene continued. "But you're not the only ones who have that kind of bond. I love Rapunzel just as much as you love Elsa. Millions of people across the world...wives, husbands, fathers and mothers...all feel the same way about their loved ones as you do about Elsa. Is your relationship really worth condemning them to an eternity as slaves and statues of ice?"

Finally, the Knight's eyes lost some of their fury. Anna's gaze dropped to the ground. "If it was Rapunzel, could you do it?" she asked softly. "If the Goddess was possessing your wife and you were the only one with the power to kill her, could you drive a sword through her heart?"

The Prince sighed. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "But I hope I would have the strength to do so. And I know exactly what I would tell myself. I would say that I wouldn't actually be killing my wife. I'd be striking down a woman who looked exactly like her, but was in reality her opposite in every way...and would tarnish her memory and destroy everything she stood for. I'd tell myself that, if Rapunzel were truly still in there, I'd be sending her to a peaceful rest. That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"But could you do it if you knew that there was a chance, however slim it might be, that you might be able to bring the real Rapunzel back? Would you be strong enough to drive a blade into her chest and watch her blood spill onto the ground if you knew that she might still be in there, feeling the metal slice through her skin?" Anna pressed again.

Eugene was tempted to lie, but somehow he sensed that the truth was his only option. "I...no, I don't think so," he admitted. "I would tell myself it was the right thing to do, and I would try to force myself to go through with it. But at the moment of truth, I'd hesitate. And the entire world would suffer for it."

Anna was silent for several moments, and the air was charged with electric tension. Kristoff was clearly keen on speaking up again, but for the moment words eluded the ice harvester. The former's Knight's gaze turned once again to Eugene.

"Thank you for your honesty." With that, she turned around, shooting Kristoff a dark glance before walking away from their campfire and into the darkness that surrounded them. Kristoff moved to run into the forest after her, but the Prince stepped into his path.

"We can't just let her go!"

Eugene shook his head. "If Anna truly wanted to leave us behind, do you think either of us would be able to stop her? Besides, she's not going anywhere...not really. She probably just wants some time alone to think this through. I don't blame her; I can't imagine what must be going through her head right now."

"I get that she doesn't want to kill Elsa, but this thing we're fighting isn't Elsa. Not really. I don't understand why she's so hesitant about this. Doesn't she understand how much is at stake here?!" Kristoff demanded, his voice laden with frustration.

Eugene considered the ice harvester. As mean-spirited as Anna's assessment of the young man had been, she'd had a point. Kristoff had never formed a close personal relationship with another human being; he couldn't understand what if felt like to share a bond like Elsa and Anna's, or Eugene and Rapunzel's. "Kristoff," he spoke slowly, "You're right. Anna is going to have to resign herself to striking the goddess down. But remember, the question of who she'll be killing isn't cut and dry. It might be the goddess in control, but it's still Elsa's body. Elsa might still be in there now, and end up feeling every wound that Anna inflicts."

Kristoff sighed. "Even if that's true, there's still no question of what we should do. Even Elsa herself, if she was really the noble and selfless Queen Anna saw her as, would agree with me here."

"Yes, logically, you're right. Anna will realize that eventually. But she'll need some time to process it. She certainly doesn't deserve your anger," Eugene argued. "Getting upset with her won't solve anything."

"Maybe, but I can't help but feel...let down, I guess," Kristoff replied, glancing into the trees. "I didn't think too much of humanity for most of my life. Anna was the one who showed me I was wrong. She risked everything for those she cared about, including me. I never would have survived my first journey with her if she hadn't dived halfway off a cliff to rescue me. I just...I didn't think she could be so short-sighted. Choosing the one she loves over the rest of the world seems pretty selfish to me."

Eugene frowned. "Anna has a purer heart than anyone else I know, except for maybe Rapunzel. But she's only human, Kristoff. You can't expect her to turn her back on her loved ones for the greater good without hesitation."

"Would that also be true for your wife?" Kristoff questioned. His tone bristled with challenge.

The Prince grimaced, memories of the worst moments of his life flooding into his mind. "Let me tell you a story, Kristoff. You probably know the basics of how I met Rapunzel; half the world has heard of the tale by this point. But what most are unaware of is that the story goes much deeper than me simply rescuing her from a kidnapper's tower."

"Neither did I," Kristoff admitted.

"Our families know, but...it's not a day Rapunzel and I like to remember. Rapunzel's captor, the woman known as Gothel, had successfully recaptured the Princess and returned her to the tower. When I came back to save her...I wasn't thinking clearly. I ended up being greeted with a knife in the back. Right through the stomach, to be exact."

The ice harvester's eyes widened.

"Gothel needed Rapunzel alive and uninjured in order to take advantage of her magic and live forever. And by then, Rapunzel was well aware of her true identity. Eventually, no matter what Gothel did, Rapunzel probably would have escaped. You'll never understand how desperate Corona was for its lost Princess to return...it was as if the kingdom had been in mourning for eighteen years. Thousands of people prayed every year for Rapunzel to come back, and as soon as she escaped, that would become a reality," Eugene explained.

"And what does this have to do with-"

"I'm getting there!" the Prince assured him. "The thing with Rapunzel is that she never breaks her word. It's...kind of foolish actually, but given how she lived for nearly two decades with only an emotionally abusive kidnapper for company, I suppose my lovely wife picked up some her moral code from children's books. Anyway...as I was lying there, slowly bleeding out, Rapunzel begged for the chance to heal me. She said that if Gothel let her save my life, she would remain with her for eternity and never try to escape. Gothel and I both knew that she would keep that promise."

"So she was willing to..."

Eugene nodded. "Yeah. She was going to give up the chance to be a Princess and return to her family in order to save my life. Believe me, it was very flattering; through at the time I was more concerned with keeping my stomach from spilling onto the floor. In a way, it was a selfless decision...sacrificing her freedom for my life. But from another perspective, it was incredibly selfish. Rapunzel was going to forever deny the dream of her entire kingdom just to save the life of a single thief that she happened to care for."

The ice-harvester stared at him. "So...how did it end? If you survived, and Rapunzel never became a prisoner..."

"I'm not as pure as my wife is. The second I got the chance, I killed Gothel without hesitation. By cutting Rapunzel's hair, I cut off the flow of magic that maintained the bitch's youth. Trust me," the Prince smiled ruefully, "It wasn't a pretty sight. Luckily, Rapunzel's tears ended up being even more powerful than her hair. I was prepared to die, I thought for certain that I would...but I suppose nothing is ever certain when magic is involved."

For several moments, the air was filled with nothing but the chirps of crickets. It was only after it became clear that Kristoff had no intention of breaking the silence that the Prince decided to drive his point home.

"What I'm trying to say is this: even the best among us can lose sight of the greater good when those they love are in danger. It doesn't make them selfish or short-sighted, but they're just human...like the rest of us. It's always easier to care about those closer to us than the people we don't know; asking someone like Anna or Rapunzel to turn their backs on their loved ones is to demand them to ignore the compassion that drives their entire lives. It doesn't mean that Anna won't come around eventually, but it's definitely going to take time," Eugene finished.

Kristoff nodded, his eyes glinting with a hint of guilt. "I suppose I can understand that," he admitted. "But what if you're wrong? What if Anna can't look past her feelings for Elsa to do what she has to do?"

"Then we're all screwed," Eugene said simply. "But remember this: getting angry with her isn't going to improve our chances."

\

The Queen walked forward, taking Anna's hands into her own. "This castle is mine, Anna. I can do whatever I please with it. It's my home...and I want it to be yours too," Elsa declared.

Anna didn't know what to think.

She'd wandered aimlessly through the trees for several minutes, walking until their campfire was nothing more than a bright speck at the edge of her vision. Then the Knight had slumped down onto a log, confident that neither of her companions would follow her this far.

For a single day, Anna had felt alive again. The knowledge of Elsa's true situation had given her hope and filled her heart with utter domination. Now, once again, it become apparent that fate had simply been screwing with her.

The first time I was adopted...by those monsters who sent me back. Getting invited to live in the Castle, only for Elsa to be possessed. Learning that Elsa really did love me, only to be told that I have to kill her. Anything positive that had ever happened to Anna only served to prepare her for more pain.

Anna wondered which cruel deity she had pissed off...other than the one currently possessing her Queen, of course. Fate had played one last trick on her, and this time there was absolutely no way to avoid it. She could either strike down the woman she loved, or spend eternity as an ice sculpture that existed only to remind the Winter Goddess of her absolute triumph.

Strangely, it didn't seem so terrifying. As a statue stuck in suspended animation, she probably wouldn't be aware of the world around her. It would simply be nothing. There would (hopefully) be no pain. The same couldn't be said for her second alternative.

Of course, Anna didn't think that the rest of humanity would welcome such a fate so readily. And those who survived would likely not enjoy perpetual slavery. No matter what else, Anna was still a Knight of Arendelle. Only the legitimate monarch could remove the privileges and responsibilities that came with that title, and the true Elsa had done no such thing. Anna's oaths had sworn her to the defense of the crown, but first and foremost they declared that her duty was to the kingdom above all. The pledge she had made at Elsa's feet made her honor-bound to kill the goddess.

So what? Her mind argued. They were just words. Elsa ignored her duty to help me; she was obligated to arrest me for attempting to rob her person, and she let me go without inflicting the slightest hint of punishment. Why shouldn't I do the same thing for her?

Deep down, Anna knew that the two situations were not comparable. Elsa's mercy had put no lives in danger. Mercy on Anna's part would place all of humanity at risk. The Knight sat on her log in silence, powerless to resolve the war waged between her mind and her heart.

Killing the goddess would be the right thing to do. For Arendelle, for humanity...probably even for Elsa herself. But Anna couldn't bring herself to accept it. How could she murder the woman who had given her a home? Provided her with food, clothes, and...love? Anna would rather plunge a dagger into her own heart than watch Elsa's blood spill onto the snow.

Anna would have been praying to the gods at the moment...if she didn't suspect that they were currently laughing at her.

\

Two days. Forty-eight more hours at most before Evangeline would have her revenge on that pathetic Prince and murder the harlot who had dared defile her Goddess. Every gallop of their horses brought the goddess's Faithful closer to their final targets. Nine strong, soon to be ten after Aeron vacated his post at the Tower to join them. Together, their combined power would tear through any defense the miserable creatures arrayed against them.

Perhaps it would not be easy. The purple rocks would doubtless have some tricks up their sleeves, and the spymaster didn't expect them to go down without a fight. Evangeline and her companions would be ready. Each and every one of them relished the opportunity to strike at their Goddess's enemies, and they would take no chances.

Prophecy dictated that their Goddess's victory was inevitable, and none of the Faithful were eager to die before having the pleasure of witnessing winter in all its glory.

\

Not Anna...


	86. Fallen: Chapter 19

November 11

Elsa smiled, taking a deep sip of her tea as she allowed herself to contemplate the battle to come. The odds were heavily in favor of her servants, she knew, and a victory on their part would wipe out the last remaining resistance to her plans. The Goddess would have enjoyed taking part in the battle herself, but the preparations for the ritual still kept her confined within the walls of the Palace. Despite her desire to watch as the life left Anna's eyes, she was practical enough to leave the task to her servants. Evangeline would simply have to tell the Goddess the tale of Anna's last moments.

She was not arrogant enough to believe that there were no surprises in store for her Faithful. The trolls, as pathetic as they were, had spent centuries studying their variety of magic. If they proved to be more powerful than the Faithful expected, Anna and her allies could conceivably survive the onslaught.

And yet, thanks to her most hidden scheme, it didn't really matter. Only Evangeline knew of the truth, and Elsa was confident that the spymaster would refuse to reveal the information even under pain of death. The Goddess hoped that Evangeline and her minions would survive; they had certainly proven their worth. But even if they died, her plans would continue on unimpeded.

It wouldn't be long before she had accumulated enough power to enact her final ritual. It would be too much to say that there had been no complications; certain strands of magic within the ritual's power were slightly different than the Goddess had expected. Fortunately, this was no great surprise. The Goddess was unfamiliar with using such a weak and mortal body as a conduit for her power. The ritual was still set to encase every mortal on earth in a prison of ice, and it would be only the Goddess's mercy that could release them.

Even if her servants lost the coming battle utterly, the war would remain in her favor.

\

The Faithful rode quickly through the city. Many of Hammerfest's residents stared at the nine riders with no small amount of fear, but the official crest of Arendelle that adorned each of their uniforms was enough to allay most of their concerns. Soon enough, the crest of Arendelle would be a symbol of fear and domination, but for now the aura of comfort suited Evangeline's purposes.

With her rode eight of the strongest mages that the Faithful had ever produced. Even the weakest among them, a woman known as Isabel, was a deadly threat. Born with the seemingly useless ability to control wood, she had developed her control over the material to the level where she could swiftly direct sharpened stakes at any of her opponents. Beside her was Caine, a young man capable of moving metal. While he couldn't snap a sword at a distance, he was more than capable of disarming any Ungifted warrior foolish enough to challenge him.

Then there were Alecto and Mercury. The two of them each possessed one of the most common manifestations of magic; Alecto could wield fire, while her husband had command over air. Neither was particularly notable on an individual level. But over the years, they had trained to synchronize their abilities in battle, becoming one of the most effective pairs in the Faithful's history. Winds only made flames stronger.

Andrew was gifted with mastery over sound. One movement from his palm would send an incredibly powerful sonic wave at his opponents, knocking them to the ground and filling their ears with a deafening blast. It was a simple ability, but it was very effective.

Perhaps the most unnerving was Solas. A man of only thirty, he spoke little and smiled less. Yet he had displayed nothing but complete devotion to their Goddess, and his powers made him invaluable to the cause. He had been blessed with the ability to control time itself. Solas lacked the power to slow time to a standstill, but he could quicken or decelerate events as he saw fit. By learning to speed up his own movements and slow down the efforts of others, Solas had become one of the Faithful's most deadly warriors. Only Evangeline herself had ever been able to defeat him in training.

To her left rode the most irritating member of the Faithful. But as much as Evangeline hated to admit it, she was glad to have Roman by her side during this adventure. His dominance over the earth itself allowed him to move across a battlefield tremendously quickly, and a boulder to the head was enough to knock out any Ungifted with delusions of heroism.

The spymaster's heart filled with pride, however, as her thoughts turned to Kayla. At the tender age of thirteen, the girl was riding her horse with the grace of a seasoned equestrian. Kayla had proven to be talented in many areas, and her magic was no exception. By the time they reached the trolls, she would be accompanied by a horde of beasts eager to fight and die for her pleasure. Any warrior who stood against her would be ripped to pieces by her loyal slaves.

Evangeline had been looking forward to a fight for months. It was only rarely that she had the pleasure to employ her magic against the Faithful's enemies, and she wouldn't miss this adventure for the world. The spymaster was honored beyond words to serve as the Queen's right hand, but her post left her with few opportunities to engage in matters personally.

She had relished the chance to fight against Drell and his allies, though the moment had been tarnished by the knowledge that the defiler of her Goddess was fighting beside her. Knowing that Drell needed to be taken in alive had prevented Evangeline from making liberal use of her powers; the last thing she'd wanted was word to reach the Queen of her true prowess. Now, such concerns were confined to the past. Evangeline would fight with her full fury against anyone foolish enough to oppose her Goddess.

Teleporting through shadows could be perceived as a humble ability. But any Faithful who had trained with the spymaster quickly learned to dispel such thoughts. Evangeline could strike from anywhere, at any time, and only the luckiest of blows would ever glance her. It had been ten years since she had been bested in a training match, and three since she had even been touched.

Every night since her encounter with Anna and Eugene, Evangeline had dreamt of plunging her blades into their throats and feeding their corpses to the maws of Kayla's servants. That dream was less than thirty-six hours away.

Now, it was time to rendezvous with Aeron.

\

"She what?!"

The gravity-mage sat across from her, his face revealing no uncertainty. "There is no doubt, my lady. The girl is as powerful as she ever was. I watched her tear through a company of soldiers as if they were a band of small children. Even the entirety of my power could barely slow her down."

Evangeline knew that he wasn't lying. The accounts of the soldiers who had fought against Anna matched perfectly with Aeron's report, and the mage himself had never demonstrated a hint of disloyalty towards the Faithful. Yet it still did not make the slightest bit of sense. Anna had only ever had magical abilities because of her relationship with Elsa. With the Goddess now in control, those powers should have vanished for eternity.

Next to her, Kayla's lips were etched in a deep frown. "How could this be possible, Mistress?" the young girl questioned.

"I don't know," Evangeline sighed, her voice tinged with a rare inflection of uncertainty. Internally, her mind was racing. Several explanations popped into her mind, and none of them were welcome.

Anna must have spoken with Drell. Evangeline made a mental note to order the Arms Master's execution before she left the prison. There was no further use to keeping him alive, and the man needed to pay for his role in awakening Anna's abilities. What had formerly been a mere nuisance to the Queen had suddenly matured into a major threat.

Still...Drell or not, it shouldn't have been possible. All surviving literature on the subject stated quite clearly that for a Consort to be granted magic, both the deity and the mortal needed to feel a genuine romantic connection. In fact, when Evangeline thought more into it, she realized that Anna should have lost her powers immediately following completion of the Faithful's successful ritual in Eldora.

How did she retain her magic her magic long enough to battle the Goddess over a week later?

Evangeline could think of more than one explanation, but none of the theories were particularly comforting. She took a deep breath, thinking of the prophecy and indulging in the comfort brought about by the inevitability of their victory. Nothing had truly changed. Magic or not, Anna was still a mere annoyance, and one that would soon be dealt with.

"What shall we do, my lady?"

The spymaster faced her compatriots confidently, refusing to display any of her lingering uncertainty. "We will follow our orders," she replied firmly. "Kayla, tell the others that we will be spending the night here. Aeron, have rooms prepared for us and direct one of your men to prepare for a journey to the capital. I need to send the Goddess a message."

Aeron nodded. "Of course, my lady. But...should we not wait for Her Worship's reply? Given the situation, it's possible that she could order a change in our plans. The Ungifted here are dim, but they do ride quickly. It should not take more than a few days."

"No. I simply wish to alert the Goddess of the new situation. I am confident that her orders will not change. Anna and her allies are doubtlessly returning to the trolls as we speak, to prepare for a desperate assault against the Goddess," Evangeline said. "We need to attack the trolls' encampment before they depart, and crush all of our enemies in a single stroke."

The gravity-mage dipped his head in acknowledgment, but Kayla displayed a brilliant smile. Out of all of the Faithful, Evangeline knew, the young girl was perhaps the most eager to kill Anna. Ever since the peasant had been lifted from the streets, Kayla had been forced to attend to her constantly. Serving her drinks, rousing her from sleep, delivering her meals...all of it had been far beneath the young mage's dignity. To Evangeline's relief, Kayla had weathered it all with a gentle smile, knowing that the chance for vengeance would eventually reveal itself.

That day was about to arrive.

\

November 12

"Forgive me, Anna," Grand Pabbie intoned. "This is magic far beyond my knowledge. With the return of your abilities, it is difficult to argue that your beliefs about Elsa are incorrect, but...I cannot understand why your kiss would not have freed her from possession."

The Knight moved to speak up, her eyes betraying an undeniable shimmer of hope. "It doesn't matter," Kristoff cut her off hurriedly. "Right now, we need to find a way to get to Elsa without her servants getting in the way. I don't think your concealment spells will do us much good if the entire Palace is on alert for us, and once they hear about how Anna effortlessly tore through all those prison guards, they definitely will be."

"I agree," Pabbie replied, ignoring Anna's audible sigh. "It has taken every last bit of magic in my fingertips, but I've managed to create a few bottled spells that might give you an opportunity. As the only one truly familiar with the Castle's layout, it will be up to Anna to create a plan of attack that can effectively utilize my magic."

Eugene frowned. "First, we need to know exactly what resources we're going to have at our disposal. Pabbie, will you and your people accompany us?" he questioned. "I know that most of you don't have much...or any...ability in combat, but even serving as a distraction might be helpful. Anna will need every advantage she can get if she wants to get close to Elsa."

The old troll's eyes fell to the ground, his gaze uncharacteristically uncertain. "To do what you suggest would be to lead many of my people to their deaths...perhaps all of my people. I've sworn an oath to keep my people from harm, and my life has been dedicated to that goal. Yet if we do nothing, our race is doomed regardless. I...I cannot find a way to protect my people. Both choices end in death."

"It's not your fault, Pabbie!" Kristoff said, his voice firm with reassurance. "No one, no matter how wise or powerful, could have predicted what's happened. You're not all-knowing, and you're not expected to be. All you can do is make the best choice you have."

Pabbie smiled slightly, laying a hand on Kristoff's arm. "You may be right, lad. I thank you. But the fact remains that I have no choice in front of me that has a chance of keeping my people safe. If we remain here, and you fail, we will all die. If we accompany you, nearly all of us will likely perish. And I am not certain that accompanying you will improve your chances. In fact, it may doom your mission entirely."

"I don't understand," Anna voiced.

"All of my magic has gone into creating these spells for your use; I will not have enough power to create another spell for months, and none of the other trolls are skilled enough to create a spell of concealment," he noted ruefully. "Without such magic, we are easily spotted. Any sighting of a rock troll will quickly make its way to the guards, and from there will likely end up in the Queen's hands. She would know exactly when we are coming."

"Maybe if we moved at night..." Eugene started to say, but stopped himself. "No. Before we plan on anything, we need to be aware exactly of what we're dealing with. Anna, find a pen and paper and draw up a layout of the Castle. If you're a terrible artist, ask a troll to help...some of the paintings around here are pretty impressive. Pabbie, I need to know exactly what these spells are and what they can do. Then I can start making up a plan of infiltration."

The old troll looked slightly uncertain, but Kristoff nodded firmly. "Eugene spent years sneaking into places and stealing stuff...heavily guarded stuff. If anyone can figure out how to best put our advantages to use, he can."

"I was a thief, but I was never good at planning," Anna agreed. "It was my climbing that gave me the edge. If Eugene makes a plan and says it's our best shot, I'll go with it," she continued, shooting the Prince a slight smile. "We're lucky to have him around."

Eugene gave her a light grin in return. "Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence. Now let's get to work."

\

Unfortunately for Kristoff, he wasn't much good at planning either, so there wasn't much he could contribute to the day-long discussion. Anna, having finished a rough outline of the Palace's structure, joined Eugene, Pabbie, and a few of the older trolls in trying to draw up a strategy. As the hours wore on, however, no clear route emerged. Elsa had full knowledge of the Palace's secret passages and certainly had them guarded. The Palace itself was perhaps the most heavily defended structure on earth, and even Pabbie's most powerful spells might not be enough to provide them with a way in.

Finally, after the sun had set and blanketed the camp in darkness, Eugene had decreed that they should disperse and get some rest. With over a month remaining before the onset of the ritual, there was still ample time to formulate a strategy before going on the attack. If there was indeed a strategy that could conceivably work. Their discussion so far had not been very promising.

The Prince and the trolls all went to find a place to sleep. Kristoff did the same, but as he was laying down on his cot he noticed Anna out of the corner of his eye. The Knight was sitting near the edge of the campsite, sitting on a rock and staring up into the stars. So far away from civilization, the trolls' camp offered a view of the stars like none other; thousands of pinpricks of light gazed down at them from below. In the distance, Kristoff could see a dark wave of clouds that heralded a massive storm, but the trolls' barrier would protect them from any adverse weather.

No better time than the present.

"Hey," Kristoff greeted softly as he walked up behind Anna, before dropping to his feet and sitting on the grass beside her. For a few moments, the young woman said nothing, continuing to stare up at the sky above them.

A soft sigh. "Hey," she replied in kind.

"This was one of my favorite places when I was a kid," Kristoff said. "The trolls were always great to me, but they didn't know a lot of things about raising a kid. Whenever I'd have problems, they would try to help...but they didn't always know how. If it became too much, I'd always come out here for a bit. Seeing how vast everything is...it kind of makes your own problems feel less significant, you know? After Sven...fell...I spent a lot of time out here."

The Knight shook her head. "I do know what you mean, Kristoff, but I...that can't really help me right now. Seeing how small we really are just reminds me what's at stake here. The entire world out there, depending on us. Even if they don't know it." She paused, her voice quivering. "I know...what you want me to do. Maybe...maybe it really is the only way. But when the time comes, I don't know if I can..." Anna stopped again, laughing and sobbing in the same moment. "Look at me, I can't even say it. How am I supposed to do it if I can't even say it, Kristoff?" she asked helplessly.

"I don't know," he admitted.

Another laugh. Another sob. "No one does," she managed, her eyes twinkling with tears. "I shouldn't be the one with these powers, Kristoff. I was never meant for this sort of thing. It should have been you. Or Eugene. I'm the only person on earth capable of defeating the goddess, and also the last person who ever should have been given the job."

"You have these powers for a reason," Kristoff pointed out. "Elsa-"

"Elsa didn't choose me because she wanted a hero!" Anna revealed. "She told me that once. The reason she wanted to be with me was because I made her happy. She loved me because I 'brought light into her life'...or whatever. Not because I was a brave hero out of a storybook. And yeah, it's nice to know she loved me for me, but that doesn't bode well for our odds now does it?"

Kristoff winced. "Well...maybe," he agreed. "But just because she wasn't looking for a hero doesn't mean you aren't one. I've seen you in action, remember? And Eugene's told me a few interesting stories..."

"Stop right there," Anna held up a hand. "I know what you're going to say. Yeah, I get it, I always put the lives of others before my own. So, I was brave...I guess. But a lack of self-preservation instinct doesn't exactly make me the right person to go up against a crazy, ridiculously powerful goddess."

"It shows that you were willing to do anything for the people you care about," Kristoff pointed out. "And I don't buy that you had no 'self-preservation' instinct, or however you phrase it with those big fancy words you learned in the Castle. I mean, honestly, are you really going to tell me you didn't want to live? Sure, for most of your life, you didn't have much of a reason to, but after you met Elsa...Anna, you had everything. Luxury, friends, a beautiful woman on your arm...are you seriously going to tell me you didn't care that much about surviving when you had so much to live for?"

Anna frowned. "No, of course not. But...none of this matters. Just because I was willing to fight for the people I cared about doesn't mean I'll be able to...'stop' the Goddess. See, I still can't even say it!" she let out a mirthless laugh.

Kristoff sighed, doing his best to repress the frustration building up inside him. He knew he should admire Anna's desire to save the woman she loved, but the Knight was being so short-sighted. "Alright, try," he prompted. "I'm not asking you to say you're going to kill Elsa. That's not even what you're doing. Say you're going to kill the Goddess. Go on."

"I'm going to..." again, she hesitated. Eugene had warned Kristoff that pushing too hard would only make things worse, but the ice-harvester had his limits. "Come on! She possessed the woman you love and ruined your life. Say it. 'I am going to kill the goddess'. Go!"

"Kristoff, I...who the hell is that?!"

The ice-harvester turned to where Anna was pointing. Visible through the light of the moon was a group of ten figures, walking slowly up the mountainside toward the campsite. Behind them was a mass of beasts, churning with a vicious energy yet following the human travelers in an orderly fashion. Slowly realizing what was about to happen, Kristoff's eyes flicked back to the grassy enclave...the tents and huts...that had been his home as long as he could remember, and felt his heart grow cold with terror.

That was when Anna started yelling.

\

It hadn't taken Anna long to rouse the entire camp.

When she had first spotted the group, they'd been around ten minutes away. The light coating of snow that covered the mountainside was little obstacle to their path, and by the time Anna had managed to assemble everyone it was clear that they would be at the barrier in less than five minutes.

There was no mistaking what was about to take place. The Faithful were done taking chances. If they had their way, none of the trolls or their allies would survive the night. Anna, Kristoff, Eugene, and Pabbie convened in a circle, allowing the dozens of other trolls to stand around them. Terror or incomprehension dominated every face.

"If they're here in such a force, they must have a way to bring down the barrier," Eugene said. "I'm certain that every single one of those ten men and women is a powerful mage, and with the horde of wolves they're bringing, we don't stand a chance. Even with Anna. We all have to leave, and we have to do it now!"

Grand Pabbie was gazing around frantically, his eyes seeking a salvation that would never appear. "I...we can't," the old troll intoned, all of the usual composure in his voice replaced by undisguised fear. "With those wolves in our way, we'll never manage to roll down the mountain without being slaughtered. Our only chance would be to make our way over the peak of the mountain and flee down that slope, and those mages will arrive long before we can manage it."

And that was the crux of the problem. The troll's camp was situated on one of the taller mountains of Arendelle, a few hundred yards below the hill's rounded peak. The camp's side of the mountain was relatively flat sloped, making walking up a feasible task. On the other side of the peak, however, the slope was far steeper. If the trolls could make it to the top of the mountain, they would be able to roll down below far faster than a human pursuer could follow. They would end up in the Spine, a treacherous, snow-filled valley surrounded on all sides by mountainous hills. But they would survive.

Unfortunately, the trolls could not roll up the mountain. They would have to run, and their short stubby legs could not carry them forward at any speed near what a determined human could manage. The mages would cut them down in droves as they attempted to flee.

Anna took a deep breath, allowing the adrenaline rushing through her veins to overcome her fear. "I can't beat them, but I can slow them down. Once they break through the barrier, I'll use your cover-spell. When that happens, you all start running. I'll buy you as much time as I can."

"No!" Eugene interjected. "You're too important to risk. If you die, it's all over...for everyone. You should run; race down that hill and get as far away from here as you can. The rest of us will hold them back as long as possible."

Grim nods of agreement were issued by the rest of the circle, and Anna suddenly felt as if the ground was opening up beneath her feet. They honestly expected her to abandon her friends to their deaths, just so she could live? Anna cast her thoughts around desperately, seeking a way out... And then, to her relief, she found it.

"I'm fast, but not fast enough," she declared. "Evangeline can teleport; she'd catch me. I don't know if I could beat her out in the open," Anna noted honestly. "My best chance to escape is to make a stand first, and kill Evangeline. Then I'll run. Hopefully, I'll be able to take out a couple of their other mages too...make it easier for us to attack the Castle when the time comes."

Eugene moved to reply, but Pabbie cut him off. "Anna is right. If any of us are to flee, this teleporter must be slain. All of us who can fight will remain behind; my people will arm ourselves with whatever instruments are available. I will lead a party of our children and elders up the mountain. We will all be able to roll down unharmed, and I will have a sleigh brought up for the three of you. If we are attacked, I will confront the enemy. Anna, take the cover-spell and the other two bottles. The last one shall remain with me."

Kristoff frowned. "I thought we were going to use them to get into the Castle?" he asked hurriedly. "Didn't you say you don't have enough magic left to create another potion for months?"

"We need them now," Anna declared. "Without them, we'll have no chance to survive the night. If we live until tomorrow...we'll figure something out to get into the Castle. Right now, we need to focus on the present moment."

The Prince shook his head. "This is a terrible plan," he ruminated. "You could easily be killed in the next few minutes. We all could. None of us have any idea how powerful all of those mages are."

Anna winced. It was a terrible plan. The Knight had to strain to hold back tears as she glanced around and looked upon the grim, determined faces surrounding her. Some of them are going to die. Even in the best-case scenario, there was not the slightest hope of the night ending without fatalities. Anna had been in many battles, but never anything like this. All my power, and I won't be able to save them...

"It's the only plan we have," she finally managed, her voice cracking horribly. "Pabbie, start the evacuation and take one of the spells. Leave the rest with me. I-" she stopped, trying to think of something more to say. A short speech that would inspire her allies and give them to courage to fight against all odds.

Nothing emerged.

\

"Kayla, hand me the potion."

The young girl did as Evangeline asked, passing over the small glass bottle. It was the most difficult potion that Kayla had ever created, but the spymaster was more than pleased with the results. The spell would do its job, and the Faithful would finish the rest.

Evangeline stopped walking ten yards away from where she knew the barrier stood, raising her hand and signaling her subordinates to do likewise. "The moment the barrier shatters, our foes will likely split into two groups. One will remain behind and attempt to fight us, the other will attempt to flee to the top of the mountain. Alecto, Mercury, and Andrew...you're with me. While the rest of you slaughter those trying to make a stand, the four of us will pursue and cut down those attempting to flee."

She paused, taking in a deep breath and saving the moment. "Anna is our primary target; everyone else is secondary. I suspect that she will accompany the group of evacuees. Our enemies know that if she dies, they lose any hope of confronting the Goddess. And while killing her would be a great honor..." she stopped, sweeping a gaze of warning over the others, "Personal pride matters nothing compared to the will of the Goddess. There will be no competition tonight. Anna will die; it does not matter how quickly or by who's hand."

There were nods of acceptance all around.

"Then it is time," the spymaster declared. "Prepare yourselves!"

Gripping the bottle in her hand tightly, Evangeline teleported to the edge of the barrier. The moment had come to test the powers of the Faithful against the best efforts of the rock trolls, and she was certain which magic was about to triumph. Grinning viciously, she hurled the bottle against the invisible barrier.

For a moment, there was nothing save the shattering of the glass as the bottle splintered. Then it was possible for a keen eye to spot thin wisps of black smoke arising from the broken glass and spilling into the air. With every second they grew larger and solidified. Cracks began to echo into the night as the tendrils of mist latched onto the barrier at a dozen different points.

A thick layer of darkness, emanating from every point of contact, began to move across the barrier. Evangeline smiled contently as the magic spread rapidly; within seconds the entire shield and the camp within was surrounded by an iron dome of black malice. For a moment, time stood still.

Then a vicious hiss spilled into the sky as the darkness dissolved, taking the barrier with it.

\

Anna was horrified, but she couldn't say she was surprised. The Faithful would never have sent out such a large force if they didn't have a way to break in. Before the barrier had been consumed by darkness, the Knight had gotten a good look at what they were facing: ten mages and a horde of wolves. Evangeline and Kayla stood among them, their faces hiding none of their eagerness.

With her stood Kristoff, Eugene, and four dozen trolls armed with daggers, all of whom taking cover behind whatever obstacles they could. Anna once again wore a bandolier of small knives around her waist, now that she had regained the strength and coordination to throw them with deadly precision. Suppressing her fears as best she could, Anna glanced down at the small innocuous glass bottle in her hand. If this didn't work...

Just as the barrier dissolved, Anna hurled Pabbie's most powerful concoction at the ground in front of her. Dense white smoke erupted from the shards of glass, speeding through the air so strongly that the Knight was forced to cover her eyes. By the time she opened them again, a thick white haze had settled all around her. Pabbie had estimated that his cover spell would shroud half the mountain with fog, and nothing Anna could perceive gave her reason to doubt that assumption.

Unfortunately, Pabbie hadn't been as certain for how long the spell would last. But for the moment, the smoke was thick enough that any combatant on either side would only be able to see a few yards in any direction. The Knight would have liked to have been able to use it against Elsa, but nothing else could have kept the Faithful for overwhelming them within moments.

\

Evangeline and her fellow mages paused. The barrier had given way to reveal a thick wall of smoke hurtling towards them. It took only moments for the spymaster to realize that this spell was intended only as a delaying action, nothing more. The trolls did not have the power to infuse the air with poison.

As it was, this spell was a profound nuisance. Evangeline couldn't teleport to places she could not see, and this smoke made all but the most short-range jumps impossible. Knowing that Anna was likely getting further away with every moment that passed, the spymaster turned quickly to her allies. "Kayla, order the wolves forward. The rest of you follow behind and stay alert. Alecto, Mercury, Andrew...follow me. We're going to head around whatever defenses they have and sprint to the top of the mountain."

\

Anna expected to hear the horde of beasts charging first, and she wasn't disappointed. The Knight reached into her pocket, pulling out Pabbie's second glass bottle. She had to time this just right...

Then a wolf was leaping out of the smoke towards her! Nearly too stunned to react, Anna had just enough time to dodge the beast as it leapt at her throat. As it passed, the wolf's body slammed into her left side. Anna's arm jolted wildly, and the glass bottle spilled out of her grasp and rolled harmlessly onto the ground. Within an instant, it was out of view.

Damn it! Anna had forgotten how quick the animals under Kayla's control could become. Her now empty fist lashed out, smashing into the wolf's jaw and all but shattering its head. The Knight allowed herself a grim smile. These wolves were certainly still a threat, but Anna had grown significantly stronger and faster than the last time she'd dealt with them.

She faced the horde bravely, her sword whirling through the air. One, two, three...every swipe of her blade ended another wolf's life. But they weren't just concentrating on her; many were running well to off the sides and engaging her allies. The smoke covering the mountain did nothing to block out the screams.

Anna ran off towards the shouts...

Then a swordsman was rushing out of the smoke, running towards her position. His eyes sparked with triumph as they settled upon her form. The Knight blocked his first strike easily, having braced herself for a blow of magically enhanced strength that never came. Anna's reply wasn't as quick as it could have been, as her mind was still on alert for whatever magic this man possessed. Her opponent swiftly darted towards the side, and the Knight's blade hit nothing but air.

"She's-!" Anna quickly attacked again, breaking the man out of his warning and forcing him to commit all of his attention to her onslaught. The Knight broke upon him furiously...yet something was wrong. Horribly wrong. She felt no compulsion on her limbs, nothing weighing them down, but her movements were barely half as quick as they usually were. His lips set in a determined line, Anna's opponent was matching her blow for blow.

Anna was still moving faster than any Ungifted could manage, but so was the man in front of her. Their swords were moving at equal speed, enough so that her opponent's superior skill and technique were fully brought to bear. He moved his weapon like a master, deflecting each of her blows with ludicrous precision and seizing any opportunity her defense offered. Anna's only saving grace was her strength. Although the force behind her blows was reduced by her reduced speed, any contact between their weapons was enough to send her opponent recoiling.

Their duel was a furious dance. Every action met with reaction. Anna could hear the sounds echoing from throughout the camp...the screams of the dead and dying, yet her every effort was spent on engaging the mage in front of her.

\

Eugene extracted his bloodied sword from the wolf's body, grunting in grim satisfaction. The trolls were doing the best they could, fending off the beasts with long sharpened daggers, yet it was clear that none among them were trained warriors. Already, several had fallen to the ground wounded...and worse.

An otherworldly sound in the distance compelled Eugene to rush forward. The Prince ran through the fog to find several trolls surrounding a ruined wooden hut, all fixated at a woman standing in the center of where the structure had once stood. Planks of wood rotated in the air around her, striking at any troll who failed to evade in time. Even as he hurried forward, a sharpened stake hurled through the air and impaled a troll in the chest. The unfortunate target crumbled to the ground, a now blood-red post sticking out of his back.

Channeling his rage, Eugene continued forward. The woman hadn't noticed him yet. If he could just get close enough...suddenly his sword was wrenched from his hand by an invisible force; the blade went careening into the fog and fell out of sight. The Prince turned to see a young man walking towards him, a malevolent smile etched on his lips.

The mage thrust his hand forward. A sharp shard of metal sped off his belt and hurtled towards Eugene, angled straight for his heart. Diving to the side, the Prince felt his leg explode in pain as the shard grazed his thigh. Blood immediately began to drip from the long, thin cut.

Years of training just barely allowed Eugene to keep his mind in check. This man could control metal, that much was clear. Fortunately, there was another type of weapon available nearby. Dodging another shard, the Prince reached for the ground and picked up a long plank of wood left unmolested after the hut's destruction.

Another shard! Eugene held his new weapon out in front of him, gritting his teeth and praying to the gods. A loud thunk echoed into the night as the shard slammed into the plank, embedding itself halfway through the wood but leaving Eugene untouched.

Evidently, this mage had grown overly reliant on his magic. With no time left to launch another shard, the man was helpless to resist as Eugene struck out with all of his strength, slamming the plank into the mage's face. The young man crumpled to the ground instantly, clearly unconscious.

The Prince knew it would be best to finish this man off now, but there was no time. Not when the howls of wolves erupted from every direction and his allies crumpled in the face of the onslaught. He needed to find his sword and kill that woman-

But by the time he did, a far more pressing danger had emerged.

\

Kristoff didn't know what to do. He held his sword out in front of him, gripping it as tightly as he could manage. By sheer luck, no wolves had targeted him yet. If they had, it likely would have been the end. The shouts of both friend and foe surrounded him on all sides. Where to turn? What to do? So much death...

A large chunk of earth was suddenly flying through the night, speeding right towards his head. The ice-harvester was powerless to resist as the hardened earth slammed into his body, knocking the sword out of his grip and sending him falling to the ground. His head was alight with pain. He needed to get up, to fight...Krisotff collapsed onto his back and sunk into unconsciousness.

Roman would have finished the young man off, but he had more important targets to find.

\

At last, Evangeline and her three companions had made it out of the fog. By now, they were nearly at the top of the mountain. Going entirely around the trolls' camp, they had met no opposition. Now, however, she could see a group of small figures approaching the summit. They were running parallel to Evangeline's group, but were slightly ahead of the four mages.

There was no need to teleport. The smoke that now covered much of the mountain made her wary of any future surprises, and the spymaster couldn't see Anna among the large group of trolls now approaching the summit. Shouts echoed from the group as they spotted Evangeline and her allies; most of them now sprinted upwards even faster. Only one, a gray-haired rock carrying a wooden staff, stopped entirely. He gestured for his people to continued, hesitated for a brief moment, then began to walk towards the group of mages.

The rest of the trolls had reached the summit, and were now turning into round rocks as they rolled over the peak. Evangeline would have liked to slaughter them, but they weren't a priority. This old troll approaching her was clearly the leader, and if anyone knew where Anna had fled, he would. She signaled for her subordinates to surround the troll without attacking.

Within moments, they were standing in a circle around him, each mage positioned perhaps two yards away from the diminutive troll. He was trying to put on a brave face, but the spymaster could not be fooled so easily. His large hands were clenched tightly, one still encircled around his staff. Evangeline could see the fear in his eyes and relished the sight.

Any moonlight had long since faded. A quick glance to the distance confirmed that the approaching storm was growing ever closer; within minutes, the entire mountain would be assaulted by a powerful blizzard. Fortunately, Evangeline had more than enough time for a quick interrogation.

"I have no patience for games, troll. Tell me where she is, and you will be spared. Refuse, and die painfully. Talk!" she demanded.

The old troll said nothing, though the fear in his eyes grew ever more apparent. Then his gaze shifted into his free hand, and Evangeline noticed something that she had previously missed. Glinting in the light provided by the few stars still visible in the sky was a small glass bottle, wedged between his fingers.

"Move!" she screamed. The word had barely left her mouth before the troll hurled the bottle at the ground, breathing deeply and closing his eyes. It was the last thing he ever did.

Fire rushed into the air, spreading in a circle from the smashed bottle and consuming the troll instantly. With nowhere in her line of sight safe, Evangeline eschewed teleportation in favor of more mundane means of evasion. The spymaster leapt backwards as quickly as possible...too slow! The outermost tendrils of fire reached her arms, hungrily lashing out at her skin for a brief, agonizing moment. Then she fell backwards, her sleeves and skin both on fire.

Pain a hundred times greater than Eugene's earlier attack invaded Evangeline's mind. Instinctively, the spymaster plunged her limbs into the snow-covered ground. A different agony now consumed the first, one of biting cold and blackening skin.

Andrew rushed to her side. Out of all the mages, it seemed he was the only one quick enough to escape the blast. Alecto and Mercury were nowhere to be seen...unless one counted the charred corpses at the edge of the ring of melted snow.

He moved to help her, but she shrugged him off. "I'll...live," Evangeline managed. "Go. Kill the girl. Come back for me when...it's over." Her mind had reached its limit. The spymaster collapsed into the snow, falling into unconsciousness as her body went into shock.

\

Not Anna…


	87. Fallen: Chapter 20

Their blades clashed yet again, the sound ringing through the night. For several minutes now, the two warriors had been moving at equal speed, and Anna's superior strength had not been enough to overcome the skills of the more experienced swordsman. He fought just as fiercely as she, clearly eager to claim the honor of eliminating the last threat to his goddess's eternal reign.

Anna blocked another blow to her neck, then lashed out with a kick to her opponent's chest. The mage darted to the side...only this time his movement wasn't fast enough to save him entirely. The edge of Anna's boot connected with his side, and the glancing blow proved sufficient to knock the man into the snow.

Quick as a snake, he was on his feet again. The fanatic glint in his eye had not faded in the slightest. But as their swords met once again, Anna could see beads of sweat beginning to appear on his cheeks. Judging by the heaving of his chest, he was breathing heavily, while Anna herself was only slightly winded. His movements were slower now, and the Knight wasted no time in bringing her advantage to bear. She rained blow after blow on his defenses, her sword coming closer and closer to striking flesh.

His power doesn't grant him enhanced energy. Mine comes from a...Anna's thoughts were interrupted by the geyser of blood that erupted before her as the icy blade finally pierced his chest. By the time she extracted the sword from her enemy, the last of his life had already left him.

"Anna!"

The Knight whipped around. Pabbie's mist had begun to fade, and the air had grown clear enough for her to witness the furious fight that was occurring ten feet away. Eugene was frantically darting around the battlefield, dodging projectiles of hard earth that were clearly being commanded by yet another mage. The Prince's opponent wore a smirk of utmost confidence on his face, and before Anna could intervene, one of his attacks made contact with Eugene's sword. As the blade went flying out of sight, a second projectile slammed into his chest. The Prince crumbled to the ground with a gasp of pain, clearly in no shape to jump back into the fight. A pained groan escaped from his lips.

At least he's alive, Anna thought. She breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Blood pounding in her ears, Anna rushed forward. The earth mage turned to face her; if anything, the grin on his face only grew wider. The Knight's sword struck air as a platform of earth erupted underneath the grass, vaulting her opponent back several yards. He landed gracefully, the impact not even buckling his knees.

"What a brave hero," the mage commented, sarcasm dripping from his words. "You're really determined to 'save the world', aren't you? Unfortunately, I can't let that happen, so..."

Anna darted to the side as the earth beneath her feet exploded. A hailstorm of rocks landed around her, but the Knight's reflexes proved fast enough to avoid them. "Save the world?" Anna couldn't help but question as the mage retracted his hands. "I thought it was the Faithful and their Goddess that were doing that, restoring the natural order and putting the Ungifted back in their place."

Genuine laughter arose from the mage. "Seriously?" he asked. "Not everyone born into a cult is stupid enough to take their lessons to heart. I'm surrounded by fanatics, but that doesn't mean I am one. Whether or not you're 'Ungifted' doesn't matter to me." He actually seemed somewhat affronted.

Anna couldn't believe her ears. "Then why help them?" she demanded.

A cluster of rocks raced forward from his position, and again Anna dodged. "I'm no coward, but even I know there's some fights you just can't win." He darted backward, avoiding another strike of Anna's sword with a smile.

"Like it or not, the Goddess is going to return. Every word of that prophecy has come true; you really think the last line won't? And it's not such a bad world she's going to make...for me. It may be selfish, but that's the way life works, my little hero. It's a pity you won't have time to learn that lesson. "

Her enemy raised his hands, and instantly a massive torrent of earthen projectiles was racing towards her. But Anna was faster than Eugene, and her speed and reflexes allowed her to dodge each attack with relative ease. She gradually weaved through the hail-fire of earth, sword raised as she stepped closer to her opponent, and the smirk that adorned the mage's face began to disappear.

Anna was less than ten feet away from her target when it happened. A familiar sensation swept through the Knight's body as her limbs suddenly became ten times as heavy. A glance to the side confirmed her suspicions: the mage from the Tower had made a reappearance.

The reduced speed cost her heavily; two wads of hardened earth struck Anna in the shoulder and the leg. The impacts would likely have broken bones in a normal human, but for Anna they merely left the promise of two dark bruises. Summoning all of her strength, the Knight leapt to the side, momentarily avoiding the ongoing torrent of earth. Lacking any knives, she angled her sword towards the gravity mage.

She was a second away from throwing the blade when the thought struck her. Here she was, a woman who had once abhorred killing and suffered from terrible nightmares every time she took a life, about to murder yet another man without hesitation. Somewhere along the way, Anna had lost track of the number of lives she'd ended. Already, she had struck a mage down today, and not even the slightest hint of regret had made itself known.

The first night Anna had ever shared a bed with Elsa, hours after the Solstice assassination attempt so long ago, the former thief had expressed her fear that killing would become easier...that it would change her. The Queen had assured her otherwise, but Anna realized now that the monarch's words had been empty.

It has changed me. The innocent girl I once was vanished long ago. And I can't even bring myself to mourn her loss. This world needs me to be a killer, and that's what I am. Anna's sword hurtled forward, sent forth from her hands with perfect accuracy, and slammed into the gravity mage point-first. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The storm of earth found her again, but with Anna's speed fully restored, dodging the projectiles was as easy as it had ever been. Drawing upon her inhuman reflexes, the Knight reached out and snatched a clump of earth as it sped past. Whirling around, Anna hurled the stolen missile at her opponent. The mage hurriedly raised a wall of earth, and Anna's attack shattered harmlessly against it.

But the defense had cost him valuable time. As the wall slid back into the ground, Anna had already retrieved her sword from the gravity mage's corpse. Fear shown openly in her opponent's eyes; the Knight could tell he was considering running into the mist as fast as his legs could carry him. Judging by the exertion evident on his face, he had already used up a significant amount of energy.

Swish!

Anna turned around, reflexively striking out with her sword and smacking the throwing knife out of the air. Several yards away, at the edge of her mist-limited vision, stood Kayla. The gleam of eager satisfaction shining in her eyes actually made the Knight flinch.

"Lady Anna," she greeted, bearing a smile devoid of all warmth.

The Knight turned towards the young girl, keeping a watchful eye on the recovering earth mage. "I don't want to hurt you, Kayla!" Anna declared. "And you shouldn't want to hurt me. You've spent your entire life being brainwashed by this cult; you're a victim just as much as me! The Goddess and her minions don't care about you. To them, you're nothing more than a weapon."

Kayla shrugged. "So what? It's not my place to question the Goddess. I am whatever she wishes me to be; her power and will command my eternal loyalty. However..." her grin widened, "That doesn't mean I can't take pleasure in giving a whore like you exactly what she deserves."

It wasn't the words themselves that convinced Anna, but the utter surety with which they were spoken. The girl was completely beyond saving. Kayla was a casualty of indoctrination, but the line between victim and perpetrator had been blurred beyond comprehension. Already, she had committed crimes beyond those of many adults. And if the rest of Faithful, all born without choice into a culture of hate, deserved death for their actions, then Kayla was no different.

That didn't mean that striking down a child was going to be easy.

At that moment, the earth mage resumed his attack. Anna had been more than ready. But before she could begin to close in on him once again, a command from Kayla summoned an array of possessed beasts. They charged out of the mist, single-mindedly intent on the Knight's destruction. Kayla joined in personally, standing at a distance and hurtling her knives in Anna's direction.

Beset by a vortex of earth, steel, and flesh, Anna struggled like never before.

\

Kristoff climbed to his feet, his head pounding with a fierce pain. His sword, for all the good it had done him, lay not a yard away. Quickly retrieving the weapon, the ice-harvester directed his attention to the sounds of battle echoing from within the veil of mist.

How many of his family had already fallen? Elsa's forces had attacked them with incredible strength, and all Pabbie's greatest feats of magic had accomplished was to slow them down. And he could do nothing. Even the enemy apparently considered him not even worth the effort to kill. Kristoff had tried to do everything he could, returning Anna's memories and assisting her in any way possible. Yet it seemed now that all he had managed was to bring the wrath of a goddess upon his family in service of a cause that had always been hopeless.

In this moment of sheer horror, Kristoff couldn't help but think back to a time before his life had fallen to pieces. He'd never been rich, but the ice-harvester had experienced his share of happiness with the trolls...and Sven. That was all he'd really ever wanted.

Yet the world had turned against him. Forces of magic beyond his comprehension had taken hold, and what had once been a long future to be shared with his family had turned into an imminent nightmare in which an omnipotent demon would turn them all into ice sculptures for eternity.

He blamed Anna for none of this. She'd shown him that the rest of humanity still had some value, and recent events had punished her even more than they had Kristoff. Yet with the benefit of hindsight, it was clear that the day of their meeting represented the beginning of the destruction of his world. With ever fiber of his being, he wished that none of the subsequent events had ever happened. Nothing he had gained from his time with Anna was worth the destruction of everything he'd ever known.

Nothing would have stopped the oncoming apocalypse. The prophecy espoused by the Faithful made that clear, and Kristoff had lost all doubt that every word of that prediction would eventually come true. But at least he might have met his end with Sven and the trolls by his side, enjoying a couple more years of blissful ignorance before the inevitable came.

\

Isabel watched as the remaining trolls scattered into the mist, evidently having decided that dying through impalement by wooden spikes wasn't a pleasant way to go. If the pests had any sense, they would stick around and perish now rather than face an eternity as sculptures of ice. And now that they were gone, she could focus her attention on the Faithful's true targets.

"Isabel!" She turned to see Andrew running downhill and hurrying towards her. He didn't seem to have any pursuers, but his movements were frantic nonetheless. Isabel frowned. Wasn't he supposed to have been with Evangeline?

He came to a stop beside her. "One of the trolls set off a bomb of some sort. Mercury and Alecto are dead, and Evangeline's unconscious. Have you seen any sign of the Prince or the girl yet?"

The mage shook her head. "Damn it. No, I haven't, and we seem to be losing numbers fast. The only defenders I've seen so far are the rocks, and they seem to be scattering now."

Andrew's jaw clenched, and she knew what he was thinking. The mist in the air was still obscuring most of their vision, and the sounds of Kayla's beasts were echoing from all directions. It was impossible to tell which animals had discovered their primary targets- if any had. "Let's go," he ordered curtly.

Nodding, Isabel followed him into the mist.

\

Dodge the rock. Kill the wolf. Deflect the knife. Anna's brain was on autopilot as the Knight cut a swath through Kayla's minions. A dozen ferocious creatures had already fallen to her blade, but more continued to pour out of the mist. The earth mage was still firing pellets of earth in her direction, and though many inadvertently struck some of her attackers, three more had managed to add bruises to Anna's arms.

Her sword whirled through the air once again, striking through a wolf's neck and smacking one of Kayla's knives out of the air with a single swing. The torrent of beasts was slowing now; Anna guessed that about ten remained honing in on her location. But the Knight's injuries were beginning to catch up to her, and Kayla and her companion seemed as determined as ever.

Nine left. Eight. Seven. Anna had tried fighting her way towards the earth mage, but the man found it easy to stay out of her reach as she was beset by Kayla's slaves. Six. Five. If she could just finish these animals off, neither of the Faithful would be able to stand against her.

Deflect knife. Stab wolf. Four. Three. Dodge...Anna moved too slowly as a large clump of earth slammed into her shoulder. A regular human would have had his shoulder shattered by the blow. As it was, the Knight found herself rolling onto the ground, each rotation of her body adding to the agony now centered in her upper arm. But Anna was no stranger to pain. Moving with the impact, she jumped to her feet and readied herself.

Her right arm would heal eventually, but it was in no shape to finish this fight. Anna gripped her blade's hilt with her left hand, grateful that Drell had forced her to become competent with each arm. She was nowhere near as skilled with her off-hand, but her strength and speed would remain somewhat intact.

Another torrent of rocks. Anna dived to the left, ignoring the shrill protest of her right shoulder. She came up swinging, beheading one wolf with her sword and kicking out with such force that her foot shattered the rib cage of another. One.

Now she dashed towards the earth mage, jerking to the side to avoid one of Kayla's knives. Her legs moved faster and faster as she weaved through the next barrage of earth, cutting down the final wolf as she ran. Her target, his power exhausted, backpedalled quickly. But Anna was far faster, and it was not without a cry of triumph that she swung her sword at his neck.

Another geyser of red.

Anna whipped around. Kayla couldn't be that quick- a glint of silver flashed through the air! Anna moved to deflect the knife just as another flare of pain erupted in her shoulder. She swung...and her parry was a centimeter off.

"Anna!" A familiar voice screamed. It was too late. Kayla's knife buried itself into her left arm, and the agony that erupted surpassed that even that in her right shoulder. Another blade was already hurtling for her chest. The Knight reacted instinctively, bringing her right leg into the knife's path.

The metal sunk deep into her calf. Anna collapsed to the ground, her sword slipping from her bloody grip. Don't black out. Stand. Stand! There was so much pain...she climbed to her knees. But her wounded leg crumbled the instant she attempted to rise.

Then Kayla was readying another knife, and Anna realized it was already over.

\

No!

The pain in his chest had hardly abated, but Eugene had finally managed to climb to his feet. Yet he'd retrieved his sword only to turn around and see a knife hurtling towards Anna's arm with terrifying accuracy. His warning had been too slow, and the Knight had now been the victim of two of Kayla's blades. For all intents and purposes, she was now defenseless.

Kayla was too far away. His only chance was to run to Anna, and that was what he did. A quick glance at the knife-thrower revealed that she only had two knives left on her person, but she was already readying one of them to finish off her primary target. He was almost there...

CLANG! Steel met steel as the Prince somehow managed to position his sword perfectly. The deflection sent the knife hurtling harmlessly off to the side. But Eugene was still weak from the blow to his chest, and the impact was enough to knock the blade out of his hands once again. It went flying through the air before landing two feet away, and the Prince knew that another knife would be in the air long before he managed to reach it.

Kayla already had another knife in her hands and was poised to throw it. Eugene tensed, wanting to dive out of the way and reclaim his blade. If he reached it and immediately darted back...no. Anna would have been struck down long before he would be able to deflect the attack.

He had no other weapon, and no shield. The only thing standing between Anna's heart and Kayla's blade was...Me.

The young girl was walking forward now, as if she sensed his hesitation. Right now, the obstruction of his body gave her no clear shot at Anna. But the instant he moved for his sword, her life was over.

"Eugene..." was all Anna could manage.

A gentle laugh echoed through the night. "Ready to die, Your Highness?" Kayla asked sweetly.

No. No he was not. Eugene had not fought so hard for the heart of the most beautiful woman in the world only to die months before their birth of their child. After all he had done, everything they'd been through together, he could not die here and now.

But he would.

Anna was the key to everything. If Kayla wasted her final knife to strike him down, the Knight might have just enough time to recover and flee into the darkness. The odds were terrible, but it was their only chance to stop the Goddess from coming to power. And the only thing that could cause Eugene more pain than a lonely death was the thought of his family spending eternity as trophies for a monster.

Kayla let out a frustrated sigh, and Eugene could tell that she'd realized he wasn't going to move. Her arm reached back, tensing to throw, and Eugene forced his feet to remain planted.

"Tell her..."

\

Anna watched in utter horror as the Prince held his ground. Another attempt to rise only resulted in her crumpling further to the ground. Her elbows fell back onto the grass.

"Tell her..."

This wasn't would not lose another friend; the world could simply not be this cruel. Yet Kayla's arm was already coming forward, and Anna still couldn't manage to move.

"Get away from them!"

The Knight lifted her head to see Kristoff emerge from the thinning mist several yards behind Kayla, sword in hand. The young girl smirked as she turned around to meet his charge, knife still in hand.

No...

Kayla's arm was a blur as the knife sped from her fingers. It spun through the air, end over end, meeting its target with perfect precision. Kristoff's blade swept through the air once, and then fell from his grasp.

Kristoff's momentum carried his body past Kayla, but it was no longer a purposeful movement. The Knight's voice died in her throat as she caught sight of the knife lodged in her friend's chest. In the instant before he hit the ground, she realized that the hilt was protruding directly from his heart.

But Kayla had sacrificed her last knife. She turned around to see Eugene charging at her, his sword once again in hand, and the smirk on her face died instantly. With a roar of rage, the Prince swiped at her neck.

Within a second, her body had joined Kristoff's in the grass. Kayla's head rolled into the distance, sheer terror now frozen on its features forever, but Anna only had eyes for Kristoff. Eugene hurried to the ice-harvester's fallen form, turning him over and feeling for a pulse.

Anna's greatest fears were realized as the Prince arose not moments later, tears glistening in his eyes.

There were no thoughts in her mind. Anna's lips formed no words. For several seconds, there was nothing but all-encompassing despair as Anna lay in the grass. Then Eugene was running towards her, scooping her light form in his arms and carrying her up the hill. The pain seemed to have vanished from his chest.

Consciousness returned. "No! Go back! We can't leave him!" she screamed, but the Prince kept running.

"It's over," he told her softly. "That knife hit him directly in the...no pulse, nothing. We have to go, now!"

The Knight struggled feebly against him, but all her strength had left her. It couldn't be possible. Anna had been wounded dozens of times, and Elsa and Rapunzel had always been there to save her. Where was Kristoff's loving sorceress? Why did she have a hundred second chances and he none?

They were almost up the mountain now, and though Anna knew there were still mages remaining, none crossed their path. But when they made it out of the mist, her world suffered yet another devastating blow.

A circle of charred bodies was arrayed around a crater of soot and melted snow. At its center was a small figure. His features were burned beyond all recognition, but the blackened staff at his side was all too familiar.

"Pabbie..."

"We have to...keep going," Eugene said, and Anna realized he had choked back a sob. "We can't let it all be for nothing. As long as you're alive, there's still..." he stopped as voices erupted behind them, but they were well downhill. Ahead of them was the top of the mountain, and there sat a sleigh awaiting them. The trolls that had brought it were long gone, almost certainly having rolled down the mountainside along with any other survivors.

A flood of white flakes had begun to descend from the sky. The promised blizzard had begun.

Eugene loaded her in. "This is going to be rough, but they're coming. If we live through this, the snow should cover our path." He pushed the sleigh forward, hopping in just before it teetered over the mountainside.

"Hang on!" he shouted. Then they were speeding down into the valley below.

\

November 13

Hours later, the two of them were nestled in a small alcove of the trees that dotted the valley beyond the border of Arendelle. The ride below had been terrifying, but Anna had been too stunned to truly notice it. The trolls' skillful craft had proved itself, and neither of them would have been surprised to learn that some of Pabbie's magic had been built into the vehicle.

Both the mountainside and the valley were massive, and there was no sign of any trolls that had escaped before them (though some certainly had.) Anna and Eugene were now separated from Arendelle by a range of mountains, hopelessly scattered from their allies, and feeling more lost than they had ever been.

But they still lived. And unless the remaining Faithful miraculously followed them down the mountain and located them in this storm, both would survive to see the dawn. Eugene had removed the knives from Anna's flesh and sewed her skin back together, making use of both his tutelage as a Prince and the provisions that the trolls had thought to place in the sleigh. With her supernatural rate of healing, it wouldn't be long until Anna's body was fully mended.

But she doubted she would ever truly recover from this night.

Eugene was sleeping, their small shelter kept warm by a fire fed by the useless remains of the trolls' sled. Anna knew she had to do the same; she would need all the rest she could get if they were to make it back into Arendelle. But first, she lifted her gaze to the sky and whispered a promise.

"Kristoff, I swear to you. No matter what it takes, no matter how much it hurts me...I will destroy the Goddess."

\

Not Anna...


	88. Fallen: Chapter 21

November 15

Anna raised her hands to the fire, allowing her fingers to take in all the precious warmth they could. The storm that had begun days ago had never truly stopped, and Anna and Eugene had experienced no respite from the freezing cold as they attempted to find their way back into Arendelle. Although there were mountain passes that would lead them back across the border, the constant snow was severely impeding their search.

Her powers had proved a lifesaver, giving her the strength to light fires and allowing her to withstand the elements to a degree. Yet they could not sustain her forever. The trolls' provisions had kept them alive so far, but they would run out within days. Anna didn't think she would be able to hunt successfully in this weather.

The Knight's mind briefly turned towards the fate of the rock creatures. How many of them had survived the assault? Anna had seen several of them struck down, but many had also managed to make their way to the top of the mountain. Were they in the same situation as Anna and Eugene, scattered throughout the valley and blundering through the blizzard? Or would their unique biology shield them from the cold?

"Do you think she's doing this?" Eugene questioned from across their now crackling fire.

Anna frowned. She couldn't deny that the same thought had emerged in her own mind. This storm and its biting cold had persisted for far longer than was natural. The preparations for the goddess's ritual may have kept her contained within the Palace, but that didn't mean that she could not exert her power beyond its borders. Anna had seen first hand that Elsa could create storms from long distances. Could the goddess do the same even with her power limited?

"I don't know," she sighed. The Knight couldn't help but think back to a time when Elsa's powers were an incredible source of comfort. The winter had been on her side back then, keeping Anna safe and shielding her from the worst of its wrath. Now it seemed to actively want her destruction.

There was a moment of silence, broken only by the Prince's heavy words. "It doesn't matter," he intoned. "We'll make it back eventually. I'm not going to let their sacrifices come to nothing, and we've survived much worse than this."

Anna wasn't so sure.

\

November 16

Evangeline had lurked at the edge of consciousness for days. The spymaster had been vaguely aware of being loaded into a carriage and transported over an untold number of miles, but pain and exhaustion overcame nearly all of her attempts to rise from her slumber. Only once had she briefly risen, just long enough to hear that Anna's pathetic Savi ally had been the only enemy casualty throughout the entire battle.

Then, suddenly, they were gone. Evangeline opened her eyes as a sharp torrent of cold flowed into her limbs, healing her wounds and filling her body with renewed energy. Standing above her was the Goddess, wearing a look of fierce displeasure as she allowed the magic to dissipate.

"Six mages, Evangeline. I want you to tell me how six of the strongest members of the Faithful born in the last century were struck down by a rabble of stone dwarfs and two Ungifted warriors who had no idea they were coming. All under your leadership," Elsa demanded.

Six? "That many...who, Your Worship?"

Elsa frowned. "Alecto, Mercury, Aeron, Solas, Roman, and...Kayla. All dead. Andrew was kind enough to inform me of the death toll before I dismissed him from my presence. I wanted to hear this directly from you, Evangeline. Did you. Kill. Anna?"

For once, the spymaster was speechless. Kayla was dead? Evangeline had spent hundreds of hours training the girl, teaching her to harness the powers at her disposal. In time, she could have become one of the most deadly human mages in recorded history. A bitter taste entered her mouth as she processed the news. All of that potential...wasted.

Yet the thought was quickly overshadowed by fear of the Goddess's disappointment.

"No, Your Worship. Anna was able to flee to the top of the mountain. She could be anywhere in the valley by now. The storm you sent has made any attempt of pursuit impractical. She may perish in the blizzard, but I can't confirm it." Blinking back the tears in her eyes, the spymaster pressed her forehead into the floor beside the Goddess's feet. "I have failed you, my liege. I welcome any punishment you deem fit."

The Goddess frowned. "I am in no position to incapacitate my servants, thanks to your failures."

"There are still two dozen capable mages defending the Palace, Your Worship, not to mention your Ungifted army," Evangeline stated, keeping her head pressed to the ground. "Any one mage, including myself, is expendable. Barely a fortnight remains until your ascension, and Anna still has not caught on to..."

A heavy sigh erupted from the Goddess. "I refuse to take chances until my power has returned. In my current state, maintaining a winter storm at such a distance is incredibly difficult. There is every chance that Anna will survive and return to Arendelle. And therein lies your opportunity for redemption."

At that, the spymaster raised her head. "Redemption, Your Worship?"

"Your mages did not attempt to pursue the girl into the blizzard. Understandable; finding Anna in such conditions would have been impossible, and the need to report back was paramount. But now, I want you to guard against her return. Travel to any towns she may pass through near the border, order any soldiers present to be on high alert, and track her down. Or lure her out. I don't care how you do it, as long as you do not reveal to her the truth," she commanded, a thin smile spreading to her lips. "Defeating her without the trolls' interference should not prove difficult, and I imagine you will enjoy taking vengeance."

Evangeline bit her lip. "Your Worship, the trolls were not the only reason our attack failed. I..." she looked to her Goddess, dreading the implications of her words. "Anna has regained her powers, Your Worship. She is as deadly as ever."

Silence. Elsa's face went stark white as she processed the news. A torrent of emotions passed through her eyes as the Goddess's supreme confidence and poise briefly cracked. There was no doubt that she was processing the same implications that had occurred to Evangeline.

Has she suspected this all along? the spymaster couldn't help but wonder. Is this why the Goddess has been so intent on Anna's death? Perhaps we were wrong about the ritual after all.

"Find her and kill her," Elsa ordered. "You have styled yourself as the most powerful mortal mage on earth, and now you will live up to your boasts. Return to this Castle before the ritual without the heads of Anna and her two companions, and you will wish that death had taken you."

Evangeline nodded quickly. The Goddess was being more than generous, she knew, in giving her the chance to atone for her mistakes. Whatever the details of the ritual, the woman in front of her was the most powerful and decisive entity that had ever walked the earth. Evangeline would serve her with ever fiber of her being.

"Yes, Your Worship. Thank you," the spymaster answered, finally lifting her head. "However...that task has already been partially fulfilled. One of my agents found the boy's body on the mountainside following Anna's escape. It was a poor trade for all of our losses, I am well aware. Still, it could serve to demoralize Anna even further."

Elsa's eyes widened. "The boy? Prince Eugene is dead?" I...are you certain?" she demanded, her voice laced with an emotion Evangeline couldn't quite identify.

The spymaster shook her head, once again averting her gaze. "Forgive me, Your Worship. By all accounts, the Prince still lives. I was referring to Anna's little ice-harvester, the man known as Kristoff. As I stated, it was poor compensation for the death of so many mages."

For a moment, the Goddess was silent. "Yes, I...good," she breathed. "Now, leave me. Return with confirmation of Anna's death, and you shall be rewarded."

\

Even as Evangeline left her study, the Goddess was battling a pounding headache.

Perhaps it was mere coincidence. Much of Elsa's power was being diverted to the ritual, and sending a winter storm to the valley had taken up most of her remaining strength. Since her reincarnation, the Goddess had never stretched her abilities to such an extent.

But the Goddess could not longer deny that her worst suspicions were also a possibility. A remnant perhaps remained, expressing its grief and frustration whenever one of its loved ones suffered. If so, it had proved itself a noticeable nuisance after she had defeated Anna and orchestrated Gerda's death.

Yet, in the end, that was all it was. A nuisance. Beyond a flickering of pain in her forehead, it had not hampered her in any way. And once the ritual was completed, the Goddess's powers would transcend the physical realm. Any remnant, if it even existed, would be instantly purged by her full abilities.

Hopefully, Evangeline would succeed. The consorts of Gods and Goddesses had formidable powers; Elsa would never forget the sight of the King's human Queen on the field of battle, decimating any human enemies that had stood in her way. However, even she, the cause of the Divine War itself and the most powerful consort alive, had been no match for any of the actual deities even after her ascension.

And Anna, of course, was linked only to a small remnant of godly power. Thus, she possessed a small fraction of the abilities that the consorts had once held. Whether a single powerful human mage would be able to overcome her was difficult to say.

Evangeline would be a useful lieutenant if she survived. But if not...all were expendable. If the spymaster managed to keep Anna away from the Palace for the sufficient amount of time, that was all Elsa really needed.

Of course, it was also very possible that Anna would perish in the storm that the Goddess was maintaining in the valley. If that was the case, then she had already won.

For the moment, she needed to shut her eyes and do her best to avoid a pounding migraine.

\

They weren't going to make it.

Anna looked up from her sleeping bag. Two yards away, an exhausted Eugene was passed out in his own bedrolls. For the moment, the two travelers were warm enough. But this storm had shown no signs of letting up, and neither of them had any idea on how to make it back into Arendelle.

Tomorrow, they would use up the last of their food rations. And if this blizzard continued, Anna would have no chance to hunt and scavenge for more. Gradually, the two of them would grow weaker and weaker, until the snow rose to cover their shivering bodies.

She had little doubt now that this storm was the creation of the Goddess herself. Nothing else could explain its ability to linger on for days on end without sapping in strength. It was galling to think that after all they'd weathered and sacrificed, Anna and Eugene would be beaten down by nothing more than tiny white flakes of snow and the biting cold.

No. I can't give up. We still have enough strength to travel. All we have to do is find our way out of this godforsaken valley. Even though we can only see a few feet in front of us.

The Knight collapsed back onto the ground in frustration. They had to find a way. Anna had not come this far, defeated a horde of hostile mages, and watched her friends die before her eyes only to perish quietly in the grips of a snowstorm.

Her mind went back to the last time she had faced such an opponent. Anna would never forget the day she had nearly frozen to death, wounded and exhausted following a vicious duel with Drell's most powerful follower. None of the Castle's doctors had had any idea how she could have recovered from such severe hypothermia. The only thing that had been clear is that, somehow, Elsa had saved her.

But she can't save me now.

Sighing, Anna reluctantly closed her eyes and allowed sleep to overcome her. Tomorrow morning, she and the Prince would have to come up with a way to find an exit out of this valley. For now, the only thing she could do was recover as much energy as sleep could provide her...

\

Pain!

All Anna knew was blinding white agony erupting in her head. She opened her eyes, desperately trying to find the source of the attack even as the pain consumed most of her thoughts. And there was nothing.

Eugene was still sleeping soundly. The illumination provided by their crackling fire revealed no nearby wild animals or enemy mages. Running her hands over her head, Anna was shocked to find no wound of any kind.

The Knight slumped forward in her sleeping bag, shutting her eyes once again as agony continued to wash over her. Anna was no stranger to headaches, but this was something else entirely.

She gritted her teeth, riding out the waves of pain. Finally, after several seconds, the torment began to subside. What had been a sharp flare of agony slowly gave way to a constant dull ache. Breathing heavily, Anna took a moment to compose her thoughts.

What I wouldn't give for a dose of Elsa's healing-

No sooner had she had the thought then her pain flared up once again, nearly as strong as before. Anna clenched her fists tightly, waiting for the agony to dim for a second time. Now she really wanted a sample of Elsa's-

The agony arose again, just as unbearable as before. Her hands now shaking slightly, only one thought seeped into Anna's head. This is crazy. Every time the pain starts to fade, until I think of Els- ah! And again, the pain returned.

Anna laid back down in her sleeping bag, casting her mind about wildly in an attempt to come up with an explanation. Did this...whatever it was...have something to do with her connection to Elsa? Ow!

"No, that's insane," she whispered to herself. "Yeah, I'm her consort, but that only grants me my magic. It doesn't give us a mental connection. Or...does it?" Anna's mind flashed back to the various visions she'd experienced in her sleep, each one consisting of events that occurred thousands of years before she was born. Somehow her connection with...their connection...had enabled Anna to witness those events in her mind.

Okay, so we share some kind of mental connection. Does that mean we could, like, talk in our minds or something? No way. If we couldn't do it before, when we lived in the same Castle and she wasn't possessed, why could we do it now?

The answer, for once, came to her easily. Because we didn't know about our connection. Drell told me the truth only days ago. If the real Elsa- damn it! -is still conscious within her body, she probably learned the truth when the Goddess talked about it or something.

"So, is this some kind of attack from the Goddess?" Anna whispered into the air. "...No. I'm not her consort. And if she could do this, it would have happened long ago. That means..." Anna's heart filled with joy. "This must be from E-" Ow! I'm such a moron.

Was the real Queen trying to take advantage of their connection? Yes! Maybe...maybe this is her way of contacting me. She must be fighting! It was a wild, insane hope, but Anna furiously seized upon it. She laid back down on the ground, forcing her mind to focus on the pain.

Elsa (ow!) I'm here. Listen to me, you have to get the Goddess to stop this storm somehow. If this keeps up, Eugene and I are going to die. I love you know matter what, but you have to keep fighting! Please-

With every mental word, the pain in Anna's head expanded. The Knight was forced to stop thinking as the agony became unbearable. She clutched her eyes tightly, wondering if this had been a terrible idea after all.

The world went black.

\

She was standing in an empty room, surrounded on all sides by a thick red mist. The only things of substance were her own body and the clothes that adorned it, which Anna noted to be the outfit she'd worn during her time in the Castle.

"Hello?" she called out into the mist. "Elsa? Anyone?" Anna walked forward, searching for a clue of where she was. But there was nothing. The red mist continued to surround her, almost completely limiting her vision to a few feet in front of her. Not that there appeared to be anything to actually see.

"An..na..."

A soft voice echoed from within the mist, though Anna had no idea which direction it had come from. It was a feminine voice, perhaps vaguely similar to Elsa's, but distorted almost beyond recognition. "She...doesn't know we're here", it droned on. "But her un...conscious influence poisons o...our connect..."

"Elsa!" she shouted. There was no response, and the voice did not arise again. Anna's emotions were utterly torn. On the one hand, it seemed that Elsa was trying to contact her, which meant that her fiancé still existed and was still fighting! But it was also apparent that whatever connection they had was being weakened by the presence of the Goddess.

Now another voice echoed out of the unknown, this one clear and all too familiar.

"Everything I told you has come to pass," it gloated. 'Don't you think it's time to stop fighting? It's hopeless. From the moment you first interfered, it has always been hopeless. What chance do you have to stop what was ordained thousands of years before your birth? Close your eyes and die in the snow, and you may meet your mortal Queen in the Realm Beyond."

Anna would never forget the graceful yet condescending tone of the voice that now assailed her. "Jocasta!?" Anna shouted. "What-how can you be here? You're dead; I saw the body myself."

"Didn't I tell you I would always be with you?" Jocasta laughed mirthlessly. "I showed you the horrors that this world was capable of, the brutality that the Ungifted truly deserve; did you think that such a simple thing as death would keep me away forever?"

Anna shook her head, regaining some confidence. "No. This isn't you, not really. You're just a figment of my imagination. The magical link between Elsa and me is being poisoned by the presence of the Goddess. You're the poison."

The form of a woman now stood before her in the mist. Jocasta looked exactly as she had appeared the day Anna had first encountered her in the cells of King David's tower prison.

"Maybe so," Jocasta agreed easily. "But does that make my words less true? No one can deny that you have had your share of lucky victories, Anna, but they have done nothing but delay the end. You're no hero, no matter what your friends tell you. You'll always be nothing more than a silly peasant girl who blundered her way into a world that she could never truly belong to."

Flashes of memories now invaded Anna's mind. First came her time at the orphanage, living amongst those who shunned her. 'Clueless, clumsy Anna,' one said. 'Go run to your little waterfall and give us a break from your rambling,' another put in, grabbing one of her pigtails and punctuating his statement with a hard yank. Tears threatened to invade her eyes in response to the repressed memory. Even amongst the lowest of society, she had been the least of those around her.

"The only family brave enough to adopt you gave you back within a week,"Jocasta continued. "And when the orphanage finally kicked you out, not a single employer in Arendelle was foolish enough to hire you. Too careless. Too ignorant. Too awkward. And so you stole from better citizens to scavenge out a pathetic existence, until-"

"Until I saved Elsa!" Anna shot back. "Your little plan was stopped because a silly peasant girl was brave enough to risk her life for a virtual stranger. I delayed the Faithful's agenda for an entire year with nothing but a small knife!"

The voice chuckled. "Brave? You think you were brave? What does it mean to risk your life when one has nothing to live for? You would have welcomed death that day. Elsa saved you in the end, don't you remember? And then you were the recipient of her pity. You were whisked off to the Castle, dressed up like a nobless, and given enough food so that your ribs would stop showing. But nothing could hide what you really were."

Anna couldn't help but agree. The nobles had hated her from the very beginning, and the soldiers hadn't been much better. Even many of the servants had resented her for the life of luxury she'd received, despite never having worked an honest day in her life. Anna had occassionally felt guilty for accepting so much from Elsa, but she'd allowed her fascination with luxury and the Queen's gentle words to assuage her misgivings.

"What made you think you deserved anything of the sort? Yes, you went into battle as was your duty, but any of the Queen's soldiers would have done the same in your place. Elsa was smitten with you, that was all. You did nothing to improve yourself beyond training with a sword, something you did merely for your own amusement. When she tried to adjust you to your new life, you actually resented her for it."

Anna recalled that clearly as well. Her face burned with shame as she remembered yelling at Elsa for insisting that she educate herself, only to be shot down when she couldn't even name the first King of Arendelle. As a matter of fact, she still didn't know who he was. Her mind drifted to her disastrous sessions with Gerda, and the look of quiet disappointment that constantly adorned the older woman's face as Anna failed again and again to answer the simplest of questions.

"You, a lady of Arendelle? A Queen? Don't make me laugh," Jocasta taunted. "You were the dressed up doll of the Queen, nothing more. No titles or honors could ever make you worthy of a place in that Castle."

"I was worthy-!"

"Because Elsa decided you were? I thought you didn't agree with the mindset of the Faithful, where the most powerful being gets to decide what is right and wrong. Anna, you couldn't have even found a place among the servants if the Queen didn't take a shine to you. Wouldn't you have applied there, after your time in the orphanage, if you thought there was the slightest chance that you would have been accepted?"

Anna would have. The thought had even crossed her mind at one point. But if she hadn't been able to find work at a tavern, there was no way in hell she would have been accepted at the Palace. Even a kitchen maid needed a modicum of skill.

"And now you think you're a hero?" Jocasta smiled. "Anyone could be as powerful as you if they'd happened to win Elsa's affections. You're a foolish, rambling, clumsy little peasant who couldn't even survive in the real world without Elsa or Rapunzel's protection. You couldn't even stop us from facilitating Elsa's possession. It was child's play, really. The Faithful spent months trying to kill you, and Elsa's magic kept you alive. But all they had to do the day of the reincarnation was lie about where the Queen was and you flounced off in the wrong direction. Accept it; the only thing of worth you have is your power as Elsa's consort. And that will be far from enough to stop her ritual."

The Knight said nothing. Part of her did consider that day her greatest failure. If she had simply seen Kayla's lie for what it was and pressed on, Anna might have had a chance to save Elsa. But now, Eugene's words came back to her. Elsa had been fooled too.

"Cease fighting against the inevitable. Die peacefully, and this can all be over."

Anna knew Jocasta had a point. She probably wasn't up to the task, and the odds were definitely not in her favor. Ever since her arrival at the Castle, the Knight had questioned her worthiness to even set foot in those halls. That sense of unease had only increased when her memories had returned. How could she be expected to defeat the most powerful being who had ever lived when she couldn't even eke out a living as a common citizen?

"You're so kind and brave that you were willing to put everything on the line for the smallest of chances to save a woman you barely knew. That right there is something that makes a person special, and that's why Elsa fell for you," Rapunzel assured her.

Anna looked into Jocasta's eyes, remembering the pleasure that had blazed within them as they had beheld the Knight's torture. Anna remembered the suffering she had endured rather than give up information. And she remembered why her lips had remained silent: not out of any sense of incorporeal duty, but out of the simple desire to protect her loved ones and the people that they ruled over.

"You're right, Jocasta," Anna said slowly. "I'll always be a silly peasant girl. If I ever get back there, I'll slide down the bannisters in the Castle and ramble whenever I'm in the same room as a noble. I don't think I'll ever manage to memorize the names of the first six kings of Arendelle, and I'll never be smart enough to really understand why silver is taxed when it enters the country but gold isn't."

Jocasta's smirk grew.

Anna stepped forward. "And you know what, that isn't a bad thing. Yeah, I'm not capable of surviving on my own. I don't have the skill or the smarts to live on my own, and I needed Elsa to save me. But who gets to say that that's what determines my worth? You? I don't think so."

"Then what does?" Jocasta demanded, her smile gone. "The power Elsa gave you?"

The Knight shook her head. "Nope. You know, I've always wondered what it was that made people like Elsa and Rapunzel think so highly of me. You're right; I certainly wasn't the only person willing to risk my life for theirs. But I do have one thing most people don't, and I think I can finally put it to words."

"Do tell."

"I never wanted to die. But when your agent gave me the chance to turn away and leave Elsa in his hands, I stayed behind. When the Queen forbade me from seeking out the trolls, I went anyway. I was the only person who thought that Elsa should use her powers to stop a war between Albion and Lucrania, even though it could tarnish Arendelle's reputation for decades. When I lost my memories, I gave away all the money that Kristoff left me to a little girl, even though I was at my absolute worst," Anna continued. "I suffered a lot for most of those things, and I don't regret any of them. I am a hero, Jocasta, because I always try to do the right thing. And I never give up."

Loud, genuine laughter erupted from Jocasta. "Seriously? Still reading children's books, I see. Morality isn't what determines someone's worth, Anna. And it won't protect you from the Goddess's magic."

"No. But it will give me the courage to fight against it. And I say it is what determines someone's worth. Or at least, a big part of it. All the people I admire most seem to think so. They've been telling me that's why I'm worthy of Elsa for years. I'm finally going to listen," Anna said firmly. "Trying to do the right thing doesn't make me smarter or stronger or more likely to make a living than anyone else. But it makes sure that I'll fight the battles that really count."

The figment in front of her smiled thinly. "And you think that's enough to rule a country?"

Anna shook her head. "Of course not. I'll be at Elsa's side, nothing more. I'm not going to tell her how to conduct policy or deal with her nobles. I'm not going to discuss military stratagems. But I will be there to offer her all of the comfort and support she needs. And if I ever think that she's losing sight of the most important thing, I'll remind her that all the success in the world means nothing if it doesn't help others. That's what a good consort does."

Jocasta sneered. "You're nothing. Your friends are nothing. You're all going to die at the hands of the Goddess, and doing the right thing isn't going to magically ensure that you stop her."

"Definitely not. But it ensures that I am going to sure as hell try," the Knight replied. "I am Anna, daughter of no one, silly peasant girl extraordinaire, and the rightful Queen Consort of Arendelle. And I am sick of you."

Even as she said the words, the image of Jocasta calmly shimmered out of existence.

A cold wind erupted behind her. "Anna…"

The Knight whipped around so fast it was a miracle her head remained attached to her shoulders. Standing several feet behind her was a woman whose appearance had never faded from Anna's memory. The platinum blond hair adorned into a French braid and a dress of blue ice were her most distinctive features, but it was the two light blue eyes that truly drew the Knight's gaze.

"Elsa!" She vaulted forward, arms outstretched in preparation for the tightest, warmest embrace she could possibly manage. Anna closed her tear-filled eyes, reaching out to embrace her lover and felt...nothing.

Again, Anna whipped around. Elsa was still standing before her, with tears in her eyes to match Anna's own. But a closer look revealed that she wasn't entirely there. The Queen's form was undeniably somewhat translucent, and Anna quickly understood that there could be no physical contact between them.

The Knight couldn't help but sink to her knees, entirely overcome with emotion. "Elsa! Gods, I've missed you! I…I can't imagine how terrible it's been for you!" She paused ever so briefly, raising her eyes so they could again meet Elsa's own. "None of this is your fault! None of it! I don't blame you for any of it. Even when I lost my memories, deep down I never stopped loving you. And I never will. Now…do you know where we are? How did we get here? This isn't the Realm Beyond, is it?"

Elsa's eyes were still tinged with sadness. But Anna's heart leapt with fond recognition as the Queen reflexively raised a hand to her mouth, as if to stifle a light giggle. The fingers lowered to reveal a small smile on Elsa's lips.

You haven't changed at all, it seemed to say.

Anna frowned. "Elsa, you…can't talk, can you? Even with whatever happened with Jocasta, or that illusion, or whatever it was, our connection is still weak, isn't it?"

Her smile now gone, Elsa nodded.

"That's fine!" Anna declared. "You have no idea how good it feels to see you, to be able to tell you how much I've missed you. We both made mistakes, and were fooled by people we trusted. But the only people to blame for this are them, Elsa! I'm still fighting out here, and you're still fighting in there, and that's what matters."

Though her face was clearly maligned with doubt, the Queen again lowered her head in acknowledgement.

"Keep fighting, Elsa! I know you're fighting against incredibly powerful magic, but you're strong too! Somehow, you have to get the goddess to break off this storm, or Eugene and I are going to die," Anna said firmly.

Elsa's eyes were unreadable.

\

November 17

The Goddess sighed. For too long now, her powers had been stretched to the breaking point. Keeping the storm up while preparing the ritual had depleted her available reserves to dangerously low levels.

If an attack came, she needed as much strength as possible to fight against it. The Goddess's intuition now warned her that Anna may well have already made it out of the valley. If she turned up at the Palace gates, Elsa wanted as much power as possible to be brought to bear.

At the end of the day, she was still holding all of the cards.

\

"Anna!"

She awoke to the Prince of Corona rapidly shaking her by the shoulders. "Anna, the storm's gone. Let's pack up our gear and get the hell out of here while we have the chance!"

Anna nodded groggily. Had it all been a dream? Her memory of the vision was dim, and there was nothing in the way of physical evidence to prove that it was more than a hallucination.

But as her eyes lifted towards the now clear sky, she allowed herself to hope.

\

November 18

Evangeline smirked with relish as her final teleport brought her within the walls of Elverum. While not quite expansive enough to be a city, the town was far larger than the typical farming village.

It would suit her purposes perfectly. Even if Anna made it out of the valley, Evangeline would not have to spend the slightest amount of effort looking for her. Once she heard the news, the former Knight would come straight to Evangeline of her own accord.

The spymaster's eyes fell upon the nearby schoolhouse, and her smirk grew.

\

Not Anna…


	89. Fallen: Chapter 22

November 26

It took the two travelers another week to make it out of the valley. During the snowstorm, Anna and Eugene had unwittingly been moving in the wrong direction; making up that distance cost them valuable time. And even when the skies were clear, navigating the area was a difficult task. Anna found it easy to hunt and provide food without a blizzard in her way, but neither she nor Eugene was very familiar with the area.

But eventually they found one of the coveted mountain passes. Weary but still healthy, the two warriors emerged into northern Arendelle. Eugene's education as a Prince served them well here; though he had never been required to study the layout of the valley, his tutors had impressed upon him the need to understand the geography of Corona's closest ally.

Within two days, Anna and Eugene arrived in a large village known as Limmat.

\

November 28

They were seated in the corner of the room, their backs to the crowd of patrons behind them. Anna had never been recognized as a face on the kingdom's wanted posters, but it never hurt to be too careful. The two travelers had quickly made their way to the town's inn, purchased a room for the night to avoid the snowfall that had begun outside, and ordered a large hot meal.

"We still have three weeks to make it to the Castle," Eugene was saying. "Even on foot, it's only ten days from here. Three if we risk buying horses. But when we get there, well, I doubt the Faithful sent all of their mages to attack the trolls."

And there was the crux of the issue. It had always been the crux of the issue. The Goddess's opponents had achieved several impossible victories: returning Anna's memories, retrieving information from Drell, and surviving vicious assaults from the enemy's forces. Yet all of that paled to the difficulty they would face in actually fighting the Goddess herself.

Nothing they had accomplished or sacrificed would mean anything if they couldn't think of a way to assault the Castle. Even with Anna alive and in possession of her powers, their mission remained as desperate as it had ever been.

Even weakened, Elsa's powers alone would almost certainly be enough to overwhelm Anna. That magic would be supplemented by a force of hostile mages and a massive garrison of Arendelle's soldiers, none of whom would question their Queen's orders. Anna knew that a hundred thousand men could have attacked that Palace, and a hundred thousand would have been repelled.

The impossibility of storming the Castle had been easier to avoid thinking about when they had been fighting for their lives. When Anna had been reeling from regaining her memories, sneaking through Arendelle's most secure prison, or battling a horde of mages on the mountainside, her final confrontation with Elsa and the Faithful had always seemed too far off to be real. Now it was upon them, and the weight of hopelessness had settled on both of their shoulders.

She was fighting against a platoon of mages, an army of trained soldiers, and a Goddess in human form. And a prophecy that even the Faithful's staunchest opponents believed in pre-ordained her failure. Anna had nothing but a fool's hope.

It was the only thing she'd ever had.

Anna sighed. "Our best option is stealth. Make our way in and get to Elsa before they even notice us. Problem is...they're almost certainly expecting that, and Evangeline knows the Castle better than I ever will. We only have one advantage, and I just don't see how it can get us in-"

CRACK!

The sound of glass exploding filled Anna's ears. But it was only when she became aware of the cold, fluid liquid running down her neck, that Anna realized that the bottle had shattered against the back of her head.

Anna whipped around, reflexively drawing her sword as she did so. Next to her, Eugene copied the movement. The two warriors immediately found themselves staring at a crowd whose merriment had long died. Each and every patron was staring at Anna with a look of pure venom.

"It's her!"

"The killer!"

"I'm going to gut her and piss on the corpse!"

The crowd drew what weapons they had, and more than a dozen swords and knives appeared before Anna. Then the men were scrambling towards her, brandishing their weapons with incredible zeal but zero skill.

Anna shoved Eugene behind her and moved to meet the onslaught alone. She deflected each and every attack with contemptuous ease, striking back only to deal light wounds. Many of the blades arrayed against her were so frail that they shattered immediately after contact with her sword of ice. Shoving back the nearest attackers, the Knight raised her weapon high and allowed its cold aura to wash over the men.

Stunned by Anna's prowess and the rapidly dropping temperature, they began to pace back away from her.

Despite not having faced a true threat during the entire assault, Anna's mind was in turmoil. How had these men recognized her, and why now? What was making them so angry, and just who had she supposedly killed?

"Let's go, Anna." Eugene lashed out with his sword, shattering the window behind them. Then they were leaping through the opening and running through town, heading for the stables as fast as the Prince's legs could carry him.

They were already spotted. There was no longer any reason to avoid stealing a pair of the best horses that could be found.

\

Only a single man was brave enough to mount up after them and attempt a pursuit. He was a skilled rider, but the chase did not last long. Using the sole knife in her possession (one that had been included in the trolls' supplies), Anna had reluctantly thrown it into his mare's eye. The beast died instantly, but her rider fell to the ground with survivable injuries.

A few hours' ride brought them to the town of Skien. By then it was well after dark, and any further pursuit would prove impossible thanks to the moderate snowfall. After tying their horses in the trees and concealing their faces as well as possible, Anna and Eugene made their way into the town.

"We have to get to the town wall," Eugene said. Anna nodded brusquely. Every one of Arendelle's settlements had a large canvas where both the government and residents could post relevant information. The large thick tarp that typically sheltered the structure, protecting any writing from adverse weather, testified to its importance. Large sections were reserved for the kingdom's news and information on wanted criminals, and it was there that they would discover what had enticed the attackers in Limmat.

Thankfully, the wall was deserted in the middle of the night. Eugene stepped forward to look first. Anna, both fully aware of her mediocre reading abilities and nervous at the prospect of what they might find, was perfectly happy to stand back and let the Prince scan the canvas.

Only thirty seconds had elapsed before a sharp gasp had erupted from his throat. Anna involuntarily stepped forward, noticing that he was standing next to the largest poster on the wall. Its design was rather simple: a significant amount of writing posted under a large picture of Anna's face. The artwork was decidedly unflattering, depicting her with a rather uncharacteristic scowl, but it was nevertheless a chillingly accurate depiction.

"Read it to me," Anna said. The writing wasn't overly small, but she didn't entirely trust her eyes in the little amount of light that they had.

Eugene hesitated. "Anna, I-"

"I've seen far worse than a piece of paper, Eugene," the Knight reminded him. Her terror at what she would find was rapidly increasing, but she had to stay strong. The entire world demanded it.

A shaky sigh erupted from the Prince's lips. Again, he hesitated. Out of patience, Anna forced herself to take another step forward and squint at the document. Her eyes proved to be sufficient to the task, but Anna took little pride in the thought.

To All Citizens of Arendelle:

The kingdom has been struck by an thinkable tragedy. On November 18, during the seventh year of the Fellnight cycle, the town of Elverum was host to perhaps the most appalling crime in living memory. Fourteen elementary students, all between the ages of six and eight, were struck down by a brutal killer. One of the two teachers tasked with supervising the class met the same fate. The other, having survived his serious wounds, has given the kingdom's law enforcement agents a detailed description of the events.

"It was midday when she arrived. The door to the classroom slammed open just as we were beginning the day's history session. She walked in calmly, a look of complete dispassion in her eyes. When my partner went forward to confront her, the intruder unsheathed a small knife and...my partner fell to the floor. The children cried out as a pool of blood fell across the floor, and that was when the woman went to them. I- the lucky ones were simply stabbed in the heart. Others met the same fate as my partner. Some received a knife thrust in each eye. Why anyone would...I don't know. Then she turned to me, and I asked her. 'Your kingdom must be punished for its arrogance, and this is just the beginning,' was her response. Then she darted out with her knife, and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital with the physicians surrounding me."

The testimony of teacher West, aged 33, and others who witnessed the woman's departure has allowed the kingdom's authorities to identify the killer with virtually complete confidence. The descriptions of these men have led Arendelle's law enforcement to believe that the attacker is none other than the woman known as Anna, who most citizens will remember for her attempt to insinuate herself into the confidence of the Queen before being exposed as an agent of the Southern Isles, sent to undermine Arendelle's actions.

"It is impossible to say what her motive may have been," stated Evangeline Black, the kingdom of Arendelle's official spymaster. "I can only suspect that the Southern Isles intends to spread panic and grief among our people for some unknown purpose. I ask all of our citizens to be vigilant and assist my colleagues in bringing this killer to justice. There is only one thing I know with an absolute certainty. If she is not found, this tragedy will be repeated."

All citizens of kingdom are encouraged to remain strong and alert in these difficult times. Any relevant information should be sent immediately to Lady Evangeline, who has taken up residence in Elverum while conducting her investigations.

A complete list of the victims and their families is included below.

"No..." Anna whispered, her body shaking as she stepped back. "No no no no. This can't be real. All of those kids...the entire thing has to be a hoax. Evangeline could get these papers to say whatever she wanted! It's all a trick."

Eugene wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I...I think it is real. Why wouldn't she have killed those children herself? It would be risky forcing an entire town to conform to a lie that she created. By actually committing those murders, she can use the residents' genuine grief to spread the news faster. All she'd have to do is bribe or threaten two or three 'witnesses' to sell the story.

He was right, and the fact sickened her. Even after all Anna had seen and been through, the thought that any human could wantonly commit such a vile act was difficult for the Knight to comprehend.

"And she thinks people will believe this?"

The Prince dipped his head. "She knows they will. Elsa was a good Queen, and now it's biting us in the ass. She was fair in her judgments and didn't print out propaganda to glorify herself or the kingdom. So when her reign says something like this, it's taken at face value."

"But why? What's the point of all this?" Anna demanded. "Evangeline has to know that the regular people of Arendelle can't stop me, even if I refuse to seriously hurt them. Is she just killing kids for the fun of it?"

Eugene stepped back and stared deep into her eyes. "No. She's trying to lure you in, Anna. That entire letter was a message to you. 'If she is not found, this tragedy will be repeated.' Anna, Evangeline is telling us that if you don't go after her, she's going to do this again. That's why the report also mentions where Evangeline is staying."

"So if I don't go and confront her at Elverum, she'll...no. Another group of kids?! How could anyone... We have to stop her, Eugene. I don't care if it's stupid or reckless or whatever. I won't let her butcher another batch of schoolchildren if I can prevent it," Anna declared. "It's already been over a week; she might attack again any minute now."

To her relief, the Prince nodded. "On the surface, it's a...difficult call," he admitted. "The entire world is at stake here. I just...I need to know, Anna. Do you think you could beat her? Evangeline isn't superhumanly strong or fast but she could teleport all around you. And she's a skilled fighter even without that."

"It could go either way," Anna admitted. "She wouldn't be able to teleport forever. Using magic tires out any human mage given enough time. That's how I beat the one during the attack who could manipulate time. After a while, he couldn't keep it up. I'm different. My power comes from a Goddess; it doesn't drain me when I use it. I should be able to outlast her."

Eugene frowned thoughtfully. "Of course, she could escape the fight any time she wanted," he noted. "Even you couldn't keep up a chase after her if she just teleported away. But I don't think she will. They want you dead too badly, Anna. Evangeline will stay and fight until the very end. If you could tire her out to the point where she couldn't use her magic, we might be able to capture and interrogate her. It could be our chance to find a way to get into the Castle. It could be our only chance."

"You think she would tell us anything?" Anna questioned doubtfully.

"After enough pain, maybe. I don't regret doing whatever I have to in order to get information out of her. The entire world is at stake, and after what she's done, I don't think there's anything she doesn't deserve," Eugene said firmly. "Make no mistake; this is a terrible plan. We're counting on a lot of things going right, and if we lose, it's game over. But it's better odds for us than if we just charge at the Palace blindly."

Anna nodded grimly. "The Goddess doesn't know it yet, but she's given us an opportunity. I'm going to make her pay for it," she promised.

"That's one thing that concerns me," Eugene noted. "Why would she make Evangeline vulnerable like this? The Goddess has to know that Evangeline has information that we can use. If anyone knows a secret way to get into the Palace, it's her."

The Knight shrugged. "She's probably confident that her most loyal servant would never give away information that would threaten her. Maybe she's right. But no matter what, we're going to find out. There's no way in hell I'm standing by while she butchers children."

\

November 29

They made camp in the forest, about an hour's ride away from Elverum. It had taken a full day for them to travel from Limmat, and they had arrived in the middle of the night. As eager as Anna was to confront Evangeline as soon as possible, she knew it would be foolish to face the spymaster's abilities under the shroud of darkness.

Situated around their small fire, the two warriors made their plans.

"We can't play her game," Eugene said firmly. "Stealth and ambush are her expertise. Evangeline knows we're coming. If we try to get the drop on her, we'll be the ones who end up with knives in our backs."

Anna nodded. "You're right, an open approach is for the best," she agreed. "But, you know, there's one more thing I've been thinking of. And you're not going to like it. I know how I would feel if I, well, you know..."

"I can't come," Eugene said for her. "Evangeline could kill me instantly, teleporting right behind my back and striking out faster than I could hope to stop her. You're going to need to put all your focus on brining her down, and you can't be distracted worrying about- or mourning -me."

The Knight's eyes widened. "How did you know that was what I was going to say?"

Eugene sighed. "Because I've been spending the entire ride here trying to think of a way to beat those arguments. Do you think I like waiting behind while a friend fights one of the most dangerous mages on earth? But if I come with you, we'll both die. The only way you'll have a chance is if you go it alone."

\

November 30

Anna walked through Elverum's town square calmly, her hand resting inches away from the hilt of her sword. Also on her waist was a new belt of knives that Eugene had managed to purchase for her in Limmat. In this fight, Anna would need every advantage she would get.

It was already noon, and so there were small groups of citizens milling about all around her. It was only a matter of time until-

"Oh my gods, it's her!" Dozens of heads turned to face her. Mere moments passed before she was drawing her sword and blocking attacks from the few civilians who happened to be armed. Then the division of guards on duty was joining in, and Anna became a calm island surrounded by a sea of hate.

Twenty men attacked her. Careful kicks and punches, all thrown with only a small fraction of her true strength, were sufficient to knock most of them to the ground. Light cuts from her sword did the rest. Any strike that came her way was dodged with the utmost ease. She was the consort of a goddess, and her speed and reflexes were so great that the entire mob might as well have been moving in slow motion.

It took around a minute. Every man who had attacked her was strung out on the ground, unconscious or nursing his wounds. The civilians who had not joined in were backing away fearfully, too awed by the spectacle to simply tear away and run.

There was no sign of Evangeline, which was fortunate. Anna wanted to fight her alone, without any complications in the way.

"I'm here for Spymaster Evangeline!" Anna shouted loudly. "I'll be waiting for her in the forest north of the village. Tell her. Anyone else who follows me, man, woman, or child, will die. Fetch her quickly; I don't like to be kept waiting."

All empty threats, of course. But as she took off running towards the forest, Anna reminded herself that nothing mattered but capturing Evangeline. If making these civilians hate and fear her would help accomplish that task, then Anna would do it gladly.

\

There was a slightly snowfall, adding to the three-inch high blanket of white currently on the ground. That was good. If Anna ran out of knives and needed projectiles, snow would do. In her hands, a snowball could be as deadly as a boulder.

She took a deep breath, trying and failing to calm herself. Would Evangeline teleport in and attempt to strike her down immediately, or would the spymaster attempt a more measured approach?

The only thing that was certain of was that Evangeline would come. Eugene had said it best. "They're proud, and they hate us. That's their weakness. Evangeline won't be able to resist if you give her a challenge; there's nothing she would love more than to kill you herself."

And as Anna stood in the snow, doing her best to ignore the heart pounding against her chest, a cloud of black mist appeared before her.

"So good to see you, Anna," Evangeline greeted, smiling as she stepped out of the smoke. "I'm surprised it took you so long to come here. Did it take the news of a second massacre of brats for you to finally get the message, or were you really trapped in the valley for that long?"

No! Anna's face turned as white as the snow falling around her. "Second?!" she sputtered.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Evangeline mocked, her eyes glinting with malicious delight. "I slaughtered another classroom three days ago. Apparently, the news didn't get out as fast as I hoped. But you're here now, and I suppose that's what truly matters. I'm genuinely curious. As you still obsessed with playing the hero? Or are you just here for some classic vengeance?"

The Knight's grip on her sword tightened. "I'm here to free the woman I love, and stop the abomination possessing her body from destroying civilization. I'm here because I want to make sure you never touch another child again! So make your move. Either fight me, or run back to the Castle like the craven witch you really are."

Evangeline nodded. "Still trying to be the Knight in shining armor, I see. Or are you? I hate you, Anna. We both know that. But I can't shake the suspicion that you hate me even more," she said, offering Anna a light smile. "Of course, you don't know everything I've done to you, so maybe you don't despise me as much as you should."

"I know more than enough," Anna declared.

"Then let's go over it, shall we?" the spymaster offered, leaning back against one of the countless trees that surrounded them. "You had it all, remember? A beautiful Queen on your arm, an invitation to join a loving family of royals, and a future of peace and comfort. I bet you already had it all planned out, didn't you? It was all set in your mind: a passionate honeymoon, walking the streets of Arendelle as a beloved Queen of the people, and- a few years down the line -a couple of royal brats rolling around on the floor. It really was possible, you know. Elsa did love you, and the country had grown to accept your position."

Anna said nothing, doing her best not to reveal the pain flaring in her chest. Every word from Evangeline seemed to drive a stake through her heart, each more agonizing then the last. That was exactly the future that Anna had been imagining.

"That was before I took the woman you loved more than anything else in the world and turned her into everything that you despise. Of course, that was hardly the first time I ruined her life. Did you know that I was the one who had her parents killed? That broke something within her that even you were unable to truly fix," Evangeline noted. "In the years that followed, I spent more than one lovely afternoon watching that little girl cry in the library. She'd sit at the chess table for hours, staring at the other chair as if her mommy and daddy would suddenly-"

Anna charged forward, leaping at Evangeline and angling her sword right for the other woman's neck. A moment before contact, the spymaster dissolved into a familiar cloud of dark mist. The Knight spun around, ready for a counterattack, but her eyes immediately zeroed in on the spymaster simply leaning against yet another tree. Her blades were not yet drawn.

"I'm looking forward to this as much as you are, Anna. I assure you of that. But please, allow me the courtesy of finishing my thoughts," she requested calmly. When Anna remained frozen in place, the spymaster continued. "Excellent. Now, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if you've surmised that I was the one who planned your torture in Lucrania. That x on your cheek is as disfiguring as ever, by the way. I suppose it allowed Elsa to prove that her attraction to you wasn't merely physical. Of course, anyone who witnessed the two of you together could tell that she truly loved you. That look you brought to her eyes…I'd never seen her so happy. It made her transformation all the more enjoyable, so I thank you."

The Knight had never felt angrier. But even that was nothing compared to how strongly Anna simply missed Elsa in that moment. I want her back. And I'll never manage it if I let this witch here rile me up. That's the only reason she's been standing here and twirling her mustache for so long.

"I enjoyed that moment more than any other," the spymaster continued to drone on. "With the possible exception, perhaps, of Drell's death."

Anna's blood ran cold.

Evangeline released a genuine laugh. "Weren't expecting that, were you? While I'm at it, I might as well inform you that the maid you knew as Gerda is dead as well. The Goddess killed her personally, driving an icicle through the old woman's throat."

No. I... And now Anna couldn't stop the tears from flowing. One by one, they rolled down her cheeks to make tiny indents in the blanket of snow. The Knight drew upon her rage now, used it to maintain her focus on the monster before her. Evangeline might have appeared relaxed at the moment, but Anna had no doubt that lowering her guard meant a virtually instant death.

"How do you expect to bring back Elsa when she never was meant to exist in the first place? The Goddess possesses that body now, a body that is rightfully hers, and uses it to kill Elsa's loved ones without even the smallest hint of resistance. Your attempt at using True Love's Kiss to break the supposed curse failed miserably. There is only one way to truly free her. So, Anna, are you going to murder the woman you love?"

Anna stepped forward, brandishing her sword.

"As if you would even have the chance," Evangeline scoffed. "The Goddess, even weakened as she is, remains far more powerful than either of us. If you somehow manage to face her in combat, the end result is inevitable: you, laying on a sheet of ice, staring up into her eyes as your blood spills onto the floor. In a way, you'll be lucky. Those who undergo the journey of death and reach the Realm Beyond cannot be returned to this earth even by a Goddess. Of course, if you aren't quick-"

A cloud of dark mist consumed Evangeline! Anna whipped around, meeting the re-materializing spymaster and instinctively blocking the two long knives that seemed to leap into her hands. Shoving backward with all her strength, the Knight easily overpowered her opponent's blades and swiped at her body.

Her sword met only smoke.

"You don't realize it, yet," taunted Evangeline, now perched on a tree branch high above Anna. "But you've already lost. You've bought into our game from the beginning, and now it's too late. But I promised my Goddess that I would bring her your head, so...shall we begin?"

/

Not Anna...


	90. Fallen: Chapter 23

Evangeline leaped off the branch, jumping towards Anna. Both knives were angled at the Knight's throat.

Forced to meet the attack with her sword, Anna was startled to suddenly see herself facing a dissipating cloud of mist. Acting purely on instinct, she whipped around with her blade at the ready.

Only superhuman reflexes allowed Anna to parry the knife thrust at her chest. The Knight's sword met Evangeline's dagger with little momentum, but the glancing contact proved enough to deflect the attack entirely.

Anna's leg lashed out at the spymaster, but it met with nothing but black mist. Turning around again, the Knight laid eyes upon Evangeline standing several meters out of range.

There was a glint of metal as her enemy hurled one of her spare knives through the air, then dissipated into mist almost instantly. Even as Anna raised her blade to intercept the projectile, Evangeline materialized less than a foot from the Knight's side.

Simultaneously, the Knight batted away the knife with a one-handed slash and dodged Evangeline's rapid stab at her stomach. Anna punched out at the spymaster with her free hand, but Evangeline simply teleported away.

Stalemate. Evangeline attacked Anna from all sides, throwing knives from a distance and teleporting close in at any available opportunity. The Knight's reflexes allowed her to weather the vortex of steel unscathed, but even she wasn't fast enough to land a hit on the spymaster constantly teleporting across the battlefield.

Then the pattern changed.

Evangeline teleported behind Anna, attacking with a perfunctory thrust that the Knight sidestepped easily. But Anna's retaliatory kick was not met with a familiar cloud of black mist. This time, the spymaster relied upon her own reflexes and instincts to dodge Anna's blow. Caught by surprise, the Knight missed completely. Then Evangeline was taking a rapid step, bringing her inside Anna's guard and allowing her to swipe a dagger at her enemy's neck.

Anna desperately leaned backward, bringing up her sword in an attempt to ward off the strike. Yet for a moment, it was her right arm taking the blow as Evangeline's knife swiped along the edge of her skin.

Then steel met ice. Ignoring the pain, Anna finished her parry with as much force as she could muster. Evangeline was barely able to maintain a hold on her blade. The spymaster was sent stumbling backward wildly, her momentum only stopped by back crashing into a large tree trunk.

The Knight took the chance to look down at her arm. A long line of red had appeared along her skin, and pain began to flow as freely as her blood. But Anna's reflexes and toughed skin had relegated what may have been a crippling strike into a shallow wound.

She charged forward, striking at the winded spymaster. Evangeline reacted just in time, vanishing in a cloud of mist and leaving the tree trunk to be sliced in two by Anna's blade of ice.

"They'll hate you forever, you know."

Anna wheeled around, blocking another thrown knife with a flick of her sword. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. The Knight threw one of her own projectiles as she spoke, but Evangeline was far too experienced to fall for the trick. She vanished yet again, reappearing several meters to the right and continuing her verbal assault.

"You always enjoyed being well-liked by the small-folk, didn't you? Even as the nobles hated you-" she teleported to Anna's side, only to be forced away by an immediate attack. "The commoners loved having one of their own as consort to the Queen," Evangeline finished as she re-materialized again.

The spymaster leapt to the side, dodging Anna's next thrown knife. Then she was sprinting to a large tree trunk and...beginning to climb. Anna hurled yet another knife, but Evangeline quickly jumped to the next handhold, leaving the metal to sink harmlessly into the wood. Within another moment, the spymaster had disappeared within the dense foliage.

Why didn't she just teleport up?

Many of Arendelle's trees retained their leaves early in the winter. And in a forest such as this, all of the area above the thick branches was almost completely obscured from view.

Hiss!

Anna jumped backward, narrowly avoiding the arrowhead aimed at her heart. Looking up, she briefly glimpsed Evangeline teleporting above the forest canopy. Her bow was at the ready.

Arrows were coming at her from all directions. Anna blocked, dodged, and rolled, but the multi-directional attack strained her reflexes to the breaking point. And even as she continued firing and teleporting, the spymaster resumed her other line of attack.

Deflect! "You couldn't wait to be a 'Queen of the People', could you?" Dodge! "The reality can't be further from the truth. Thanks to my little smear campaign, and the threats you delivered to an entire village, Arendelle will remember you as nothing more than a demented serial killer." Move! "Even as they grow accustomed to their new lives as slaves to the Goddess, I'm sure many of them will tell tales of the Butcher of Elverum."

The Knight jumped into the trees. Elbowing her way through the canopy, she found purchase on a thick branch next to a large tree trunk. Hiss! Anna swerved around the arrow and threw two of her knives in rapid succession. Eyes widening, Evangeline disappeared into a black cloud.

A rustle of leaves erupted behind her, but it was her instincts that alerted Anna to her enemy's immediate presence. Anna ducked the swipe at her head, and- in the same, smooth movement, jumped off the branch entirely. Knowing it would take Evangeline only a moment to recover, the Knight slashed through the tree trunk as she fell.

Slam!

The results were immediate. Trunk, branches, and leaves crashed to the ground, burying both women under a tangle of wood. For a few moments, all Anna could see was an array of sticks and leaves. Then, overcoming her instinctive panic, the Knight called upon her inhuman strength and endurance to burst from the rubble.

Landing on her feet, Anna frantically cast her eyes about in search of Evangeline.

A rustle several feet away caught her attention. Two black-clad arms were moving frantically to clear away a path through the leaves. Anna jumped towards her target, but was only in time to see Evangeline's head briefly poke out of the devastation before dissipating into smoke yet again.

Why didn't she just teleport away immediately? Evangeline could have just... And then Anna began to understand. The spymaster couldn't teleport where she couldn't see; it was the only reasonable explanation for her actions.

Anna had assumed the limiting factor was simple distance, not eyesight. But this...this presented an opportunity.

Evangeline reappeared in front of her, hair and cloak tattered almost beyond recognition. Judging by her ready stance, however, the spymaster was far from finished. It was time for Anna to take the initiative.

Her eyes, her eyes...

\

The girl was proving a difficult opponent, Evangeline admitted to herself. Her wound was barely slowing her down, even as the spymaster herself began to tire from the constant teleportation.

Even her verbal assault had failed to noticeably unbalance the other woman. Perhaps Anna assumed that she was simply lying. If that was indeed the case, the girl would be disappointed. With or without the aid of further Faithful propaganda, Anna's name would live on as the moniker of a hated pariah, the perpetrator of one of the most evil crimes in the history of Arendelle.

It was a thought that gave Evangeline strength.

Anna was charging forward. The spymaster threw the last knife from her belt to slow her enemy's momentum, then transported herself behind the younger woman. It was time to trap Anna into a pattern.

Evangeline lashed out with her blades, found her strikes avoided once again, then teleported a safe distance away before the former Knight could land a counterattack.

Then she was preparing to meet Anna's next charge. Right before they could meet, she melted into darkness and rematerialized to the former Knight's side. Evangeline attacked, was evaded once again, and glanced just to the right. This time, there was to be no distant retreat. As Anna stabbed forward, the spymaster was already teleporting to her chosen location-

Pain!

Evangeline stared down in shock. Anna's sword was rising from its slash, the blade still shimmering with drops of the spymaster's blood. Looking upwards, Evangeline immediately teleported a dozen yards away.

The warm liquid running down her left calf confirmed Evangeline's worst fear. Anna had scored a glancing blow to the back of the spymaster's leg. For several moments, even the pain was drowned out by incredulity. How could Anna have predicted her destination with such accuracy?

Anna was staring hard into Evangeline's eyes, awaiting the older woman's next move.

She's learned how my abilities operate. This was nothing short of a disaster. Evangeline would be hard pressed to take her opponent by surprise from this point on, and it was clear that Anna was tiring slower than she.

Rage and frustration clawed at Evangeline's breath. All she wanted, all she needed, was to make Anna suffer. But if she continued to fight, there was every chance that Anna would walk away the victor. Evangeline would return to her Goddess empty-handed. In a coffin.

The spymaster met Anna's stare with her own. So triumphant. So arrogant. You'll wish that you had died here and now. An eternity as an ice statue would serve you well indeed-

Wait...

It was a course of action not completely in tandem with her orders. But given the circumstances involved, it would their objectives just as nicely. Anna and Eugene undoubtedly wanted to interrogate her for information. But there was nothing she could say that would help them now.

I could continue to fight. But I would just be doing you a favor.

\

"I surrender."

What?! Anna stared, open-mouthed, as her hated enemy knelt down in the snow. The Knight kept her guard up, but Evangeline's only action was to rip a large piece of cloth from her robe, place it over her eyes, and tie the ends behind her head.

"You've discovered my secret. I need my teleportation to see. This battle has become a hopeless one, and I have no desire to face my end today or return to my Goddess with another failure," the now blindfolded spymaster intoned. "Knock me out. Take me prisoner. That's what you wanted, isn't it?"

It made no sense. Evangeline could always teleport away now, heal, and strike again in a few days. Was she really so confidant that she could resist any and all of their efforts at interrogation? Even the Faithful's spymaster could not be so arrogant-

But Evangeline did nothing. Not when Anna approached her with the utmost caution. Not when Anna came to a stop at her side. And not when Anna (with a certain amount of satisfaction) slammed a fist into the back of her skull.

December 2

Evangeline was finally starting to stir.

Anna and Eugene had dragged the unconscious spymaster to an abandoned shack some miles from Elverum. Given the fear that the Knight had reluctantly instilled in the townspeople, it would likely be some time before a pursuit was sent out after them. Upon arrival, the Prince had firmly tied Evangeline to a chair using a convenient coil of rope that had been left on the dirty, wooden floor. Cloth taken from old clothes was serving as a tight, multi-layered blindfold.

They'd been waiting for an entire day. Anna had hit Evangeline's skull a bit harder than she'd intended.

Snow continued to fall outside, and only a soft glimmer of light managed to penetrate the cabin's small cracked window. The dusty, dark room wasn't doing much for Anna's morale, but she couldn't help but think that it was a perfect atmosphere for the task they were about to perform.

From the bottom of her heart, Anna hated Evangeline. The woman slumped in the chair before her had been responsible for too many atrocities to count, and few would deny that she deserved death for her actions. Drell, Pabbie, Kristoff, Gerda, Kai, and Elsa wouldn't be dead- or worse -if not for the Spymaster's leadership of the Faithful, and the Knight felt a powerful pull to avenge them.

And yet she couldn't bring herself to enjoy inflicting pain, even on a woman she despised. It just seemed so...pointless. Inflicting suffering for the sake of suffering wouldn't recall her friends to life, or annul any of the spymaster's crimes. It was a means to an end, and Anna had no choice but to weather it.

A groan from the chair. "I must admit, Anna, you managed to make that hit hurt," the spymaster grunted, her eyes creaking open. "Of course, it only makes me happier that I made the choice I did."

"Yes, you surrendered," Eugene supplied. The Prince stepped forward, grabbing Evangeline by the chin. "I can't say I'm not curious about that. Is the guilt over all the things you've done finally starting to catch up with you? No, probably not. So why didn't you simply poof away after Anna had you beat?"

Evangeline shrugged. "I didn't think I could win, and I swore not to return to my Goddess without her head." She smiled, her face a picture of graceful concession. "Only cowards run away rather than deny their enemies a rightful triumph."

"We all know by now that rightful isn't exactly a word in your vocabulary," Anna remarked. She stepped forward, walking slowly towards Eugene's side. "You were ordered to kill me, and you've never been one to disobey her orders. Why didn't you flee to try again later, or simply keep fighting to the death as if honor actually mattered to you?"

"Perhaps I simply enjoy our conversations."

Anna's eyes shifted to the side, finding the Prince's gaze. A mutual look of incredulity and fear passed between them. Something was very wrong. The spymaster had surrendered for a reason, and it certainly wasn't in anticipation of the ensuing 'discussion'. Evangeline had to have known that they would interrogate her for information...potentially useful information. So why...?

"I'm guessing I was asleep for around...twenty-four hours, was it?" Evangeline paused briefly, listening to their startled silence and finding confirmation of her assumption. "You did hit me pretty hard, Anna. A shame, really-"

Eugene darted forward, wrapping his hands around Evangeline's throat and shoving her back against the wall. "That's enough! You're going to tell us what you're up to, and then give us a way into the Castle. If not, I have no problem-"

"Torturing me?" The spymaster let out an amused chuckle. "Is that really what the brave heroes are up to these days? And it would all be such a waste, regardless. There is nothing I could tell you that would do you the slightest bit of good."

Anna frowned. "I think a way into the Castle would be more than enough."

"You still don't understand, do you?" the spymaster smirked. "You've been playing our game since the very beginning. Like I said earlier, Anna: you've already lost. You lost months ago, ever since you accepted our lies."

Anna had no idea what that older woman meant. But judging by the horrified gasp from the Prince, Eugene was beginning to catch on. "Oh gods...no. That was the real reason you came to the trolls' camp that night, wasn't it? But...but how...Kale heard you talking to Kayla..." he stuttered.

"The only ones aware of the truth were the Goddess and myself. Originally, it wasn't crafted for you, of course. The Goddess wasn't ready to discount the possibility that none of the Faithful would betray her, the very thing that wrong about her downfall millennia ago," Evangeline smiled. "Once you became a problem, we simply made sure you believed the same lie. It worked out well, all things considered. Tell me Prince, do you think your wife has gone into labor yet? I hope so. Two statues are better than one, after all."

Eugene's face was contorted in horror, and Anna had heard enough. "What are you talking about?!" she demanded. "What lie?"

Evangeline shook her head in exasperation. "How an idiot like you ever posed a threat to our plans, I will never know. The ritual, Anna. It won't be finished on the 21st. The Goddess had to begin preparations during last year's Winter Solstice, but she doesn't need to release the energy on any specific day. She just needed to wait for enough power to accumulate."

Anna's heart seemed to freeze in its tracks, refusing to pump its now ice-cold blood through her veins. Her mind going blank, the Knight only had enough conscious thought to utter a single word.

"When?"

\

Elsa sat on her throne and smiled.

On her orders, the entire interior of the Castle had been emptied of all mortals. All guards, servants, and guests now stood in the entrance courtyard. They were bewildered, even alarmed, but none of them could question her commands. Even the ranks of the Faithful stood among them, some perhaps having guessed what was about to happen.

The Goddess wanted complete solitude in this pristine moment. For thousands of years her essence had been scattered throughout the layers of magic, allowing humanity to flourish and take what was rightfully hers. They'd multiplied like ants, built their pitiful monuments, worshiped nonexistent phantoms, and celebrated a code of morality that protected weakness.

It all ended today.

Months ago, Elsa had calculated the date that would see her have collected enough energy to initiate the final ritual. Her prediction had been correct: the 2nd of December. Lying to her followers had been a stroke of brilliance. Hesitating to attack such a well-fortified Palace and determined to find any possible advantage, any of her enemies would have waited until the very end to make their move.

Now, it was too late for any of them. Elsa had been ready for any potential rebels to deduce what was happening and try a last ditch effort, but none had emerged. The Faithful had remained loyal, and for that they would be released from the ice that was about to engulf humanity.

She couldn't shield them from the wave of magic that would spread throughout the world, transforming everything in its path. All life had to be subsumed by the element of winter; only then would her lost divine power return to her. Elsa's connection with her lost divinity had been severed by her destruction, and the slight magical energies emitted by all life maintained that separation. Only once there was no other life or non-winter magic on the planet, eliminating all interference, would her true power reunite with the rest of her essence. It would return automatically and instantly, and Elsa would be invincible and all-powerful once more.

The Faithful would unfreeze and awaken to a new world. Two-thirds of humanity would join them, quickly learning how to serve their new overlords. The millions who remained frozen would serve as an excellent example to any who might have considered defying the new order.

Elsa reached into her very core, calling upon the magic she had been storing for months. Finally. The energy swept into her body, completely under the command of the Goddess. She focused all her will onto the task at hand, demanding that the energy spread across the entire planet and transform all sentient life into ice.

Now!

A wave of blue energy erupted from her body, spreading out in all directions. Within a few moments, it had passed harmlessly through the walls of the Castle and out of sight. Excitement building within her, Elsa left her seat and quickly made her way to the front hall.

The Queen couldn't resist the urge to attempt to leave the Castle and examine the statues more closely. As before, however, her body simply would not move beyond the confines of the Castle walls. An invisible force continued to bind her to the source of the ritual, and Elsa accepted that her imprisonment would continue until the ritual had done its work. Reluctantly, she settled for looking out through one of the Palace's large windows.

None of the architecture had been touched in the slightest way. But the formerly cloudless sky above the Castle had now been darkened by a sea of clouds, and a heavy snowfall had begun. Yet what truly made the Goddess's heart leap was the sight of every man, woman, and child in the courtyard now replaced by a statue of flawless ice.

None could reach her. None could harm her. An ever-expanding circle of energy now stood between Elsa and the remainder of humanity, transforming all in its path into helpless monoliths. Judging by the glint of blue she observed now moving somewhat slowly through the city, the process would take some hours or days to complete. But it didn't matter; Elsa had all the time in the world now.

She had won.

\

December 3

They had left the cabin running, ignoring Evangeline's manic laughter echoing behind them.

Their horses had been galloping for hours through the dead of night, spurred on by their desperate riders. But for all their speed, Anna couldn't ignore the horrible instinct that they were already too late. Evangeline had known what she was doing. The spymaster would never have given the game away if there had been a chance they'd reach the Castle in time.

Four hours at full speed had allowed them to cover a third of the distance between Elverum and the capital. Through it all, the same thought kept circling through Anna's head. We've been played for fools this entire time. I failed you. I'm sorry, Elsa. I'm sorry...

Anna and Eugene had reached the edge of the forest, making their way into the wide open plain that encompassed a portion of Northern Arendelle. Miles of grass, good farmland in the summer, were covered with multiple inches of snow. At the moment, however, the weather was clear.

So clear, in fact, that Anna could see a faint blue light cresting over the horizon. As the Knight watched, it grew ever closer, seeming to reach from one end of the world to the other.

It was moving fast. Most would not even notice it.

Storm clouds bellowed behind it, invading what had formerly been a completely clear night. Without even comprehending their actions, the two riders had brought their horses to a stop beside one another and stared silently at the approaching wave of magic.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry... Anna opened her mouth to say the words, but her muscles would not obey her. Eugene was trembling in absolute terror, and the Knight soon realized that she was doing the same.

The light was quickly growing brighter and closer, sweeping across the plain faster than any horse could travel. A single tear sliding down her cheek, Anna shielded her eyes as the wave of magic was about pass through them.

For a single moment, a bright blue light invaded Anna's vision as the magic finally reached her.

And then the light was gone.


	91. Fallen: Chapter 24

Not. Anna.

\

The glare of the magical light was gone.

Two seconds passed before a shocked Anna slowly lowered her arms. Her body still drew breath. The Knight glanced down at her hands- still flesh and blood. Utterly relieved, Anna turned to her fellow rider...

Her relief instantly morphed into horror. Eugene was gone. In his place stood a silent statue of ice, its lips contorted into a mournful frown. The horse underneath him was a statue of its own, frozen in time unless the Goddess ordained its release.

The sensation of cold beneath her legs informed Anna that her mount had been frozen as well. Her head whipped around to stare at the distant horizon. The ever-expanding wave of magic was still visible, traveling onward in its inexorable quest to freeze the entire earth. Dark clouds followed in its wake; large flakes of snow had already begun to fall around Anna.

I...why aren't I...?

Anna was Elsa's consort. Was that why the magic had left her unscathed? Or had the real Elsa somehow managed to protect Anna from its wrath? Perhaps both had played a role.

If I'm not frozen, maybe the ritual can't be finished. The Goddess won't be able to reclaim her full power, and life will continue on. It was possible. Anna could find a place to hide and wait for the magic to take its course. At the end of the day, she would be safe from the Goddess's wrath, at least temporarily. Maybe the ritual would fail, unfreezing the earth and allowing Anna and her allies to flee to the other side of the world.

But it wasn't a chance she could take.

It was very possible that a single life remaining wouldn't interfere with the ritual's success. And if its goal was to mask all other energy with the power of winter, then was Anna really standing in its way? She was the consort of the Goddess of Winter, and perhaps Anna belonged to that element just as much as the frozen statues beside her.

And even if the ritual failed, it wouldn't be the end. The Goddess could always try again. If Elsa was free to leave the Palace, Anna couldn't evade the Goddess and her agents forever. Eventually, she would die, and the Goddess of Winter would store up her power for a second attempt.

There was only one course open to her. For the first and last time, the Goddess was vulnerable. The Faithful, like everyone else, had been frozen. Her abilities were not as powerful as they usually were. And judging by the speed of the magical wave, Anna had enough time to reach the Palace before the entire world could be consumed by ice.

And then...

It would come down to the two of them. A Goddess seemingly ordained by prophecy to be triumphant against an orphan peasant girl who had happened to be in the right place at the right time. Every battle ever fought by the Goddess and the Faithful, from the orchestrated uprising against the King of the Gods to the attack on the trolls, would come down to this.

One on one. Winner take all.

Anna only had a single ace up her sleeve. And even while weakened, Elsa remained the most powerful sorceress on earth. A rematch between them was titled heavily in the Goddess's favor, even without factoring in the weight of prophecy. But it was the best chance humanity would ever have to avoid an eternity of subjugation and enslavement.

The Knight would have given anything to have another option. But if she received the chance to kill the Goddess...Anna would have to take it. Elsa would certainly rather perish with her possessor than watch for eternity as the world was subject to the Goddess's whims.

This world had done little for Anna. But there were still thousands- millions -of people out there who deserved to live full lives free of the tyranny of the Goddess. Anna had to try and save them. She was the only one who could.

When the time came, Anna hoped she would have the strength to do what was right. For deep down, she knew that only one combatant would survive this final confrontation.

Time to change the future.


	92. Fallen: Chapter 25

"How are you holding up?"

Rapunzel groaned. "How do you think?" she demanded, making no effort at all to hide her frustration. "Father has kept me confined to quarters for months, I'm going to go into labor any day now, and my husband is risking his life on another continent against a cult of mages prophesied to rule the world."

"He'll pull through. He always has," Thomas promised, sitting on the bed beside her. The Crown Prince of Corona had recovered significantly over the past weeks, though it would still be a long time before he would be able to hold a sword once again. Whatever vicious curse had been set upon him had been dispelled instantly by True Love's Kiss, leaving a swelled throat behind.

The Princess sighed. Her 'eternal' optimism had long since reached its limits. "I should be there with him," she said. Her body turned to face the room's large window. Somewhere, across that moonlit sea, Anna and Eugene were fighting for their lives. If they were still...no, they had to be.

"You should," her brother agreed, coming to stand beside her. "But you can't. Elsa wasn't courteous enough to wait to enact her plan until after you were pregnant. You've done everything you could."

Rapunzel said nothing.

"I didn't like him at first, you know," Thomas admitted. "And it wasn't because he had been a thief, not really. I think I was just...jealous. I'd been searching for you my entire life, scouring the entire kingdom, and suddenly this ragged young man turns up at our doorstep with you in his arms. He was your hero, after having known you for days, and I was nothing but the brother who had lived in luxury for decades while his sister suffered. It felt like I failed you."

The Princess leaned into her brother's shoulder. "You did everything you-" she stopped herself, pausing to offer him a brief smile. "Thanks. I see your point. Sometimes we just don't get the chance to be the hero; it's just the way it works." She sighed.

"Sometimes I-" Thomas froze, staring out across the sea in utter mortification. Rapunzel, following his gaze, saw the source of his horror immediately. A wave of blue magic, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other, was accelerating across the ocean. In its wake followed a vast array of storm clouds, swallowing all light they touched.

"No..." she whispered. In the brief time Rapunzel had left, her brain realized what was happening.

Thomas's hand gripped her arm tightly. They should hurry...end their lives to avoid an eternity trapped in ice. But even now, her mind refused to accept that her future had been obliterated. Her child...

The wave of magic consumed them, leaving only a pair of statues behind.

\

Even with her speed, it was nearly twenty-four hours before Anna arrived at the outskirts of the capital. Thanks to her superhuman endurance, as well as the trolls' energy restoration tablets, the Knight arrived nearly at the peak of her strength.

A constant snowfall had blanketed the entire country; now, there were several inches already deposited on the ground. Anna's instincts told her that Arendelle was in the middle of the night, but in this weather that mattered for very little.

Anna's breath hitched as her eyes beheld the silent city. Any sign of light throughout the streets had been extinguished, but the tragedy before her was all too easy to see. The Palace in the distance glowed with a blue ethereal light; the Goddess was no doubt providing illumination for herself.

She wanted to see her triumph.

The Knight had been well aware of what she was going to face, but that didn't make the reality any less heartbreaking. Statues of peasants, shopkeepers, and nobles alike dotted the streets, each as cold and lifeless as the last. Judging by the varied expressions on their faces, most hadn't been aware of the vile magic bearing down on them.

She forced herself to weave through the garden of sculptures. A man and his wife walking hand in hand, an old woman sitting on her porch, two children frozen in a game of tag...all of them were depending on her. Anna couldn't help but pause as she happened to pass by the statue of one of the city's nobles, a middle-aged woman who had always been sure to look upon Anna with her sharpest glare of contempt.

Her sense of dread only grew stronger as she approached the Castle itself. Although Anna had not walked through its halls for over a year, part of her still considered it home. Once, it had been Anna's source of warmth, nourishment, and comfort, the only time in her life she had ever truly known such luxuries. Now, all that awaited her was a Goddess in possession of the woman she loved.

Anna would have to approach carefully. Despite the one advantage she carried, surprise was her best chance. Fortunately, the Knight believed that she knew exactly where she would find her target.

\

Elsa stood at the balcony of her bedroom, relishing in her victory. Countless glowing snowflakes had been released throughout the Castle and its grounds, allowing the Goddess to see the fruits of her labors. In the grassy field below was the confused mob of Palace residents, many of whom would never awake again. Beyond was the capital city itself, devoid of mortal life for the first time in centuries.

She couldn't help but bask in her triumph. This was a goal she had been working towards for millennia. It had begun with a single murder: the girl who had somehow won the heart of the planet's undisputed ruler. The war that had followed had ended with only one true victor: the Goddess of Winter, but her reign had been cut incredibly short by the actions of a band of traitors.

This was to be her final victory. Her power, having been festering within the energies of the world for an age, would return greater than it had ever been. She would never fall prey to the trap that had once consumed her. Elsa's second reign would be absolute and eternal, the culmination of thousands of years of cunning and strength.

She could feel her magic rushing across the earth; after having prepared and nurtured it for months, the ritual had become a virtual extension of herself. The wave of energy had gathered speed as it traveled across the planet, and nearly the entire world had already been overtaken. Only minutes remained before it was complete.

At last.

The Goddess had been patient, ruthless, and, above all, observant. She had been the only one to see that the mortal girl's death would bring the King's rule crashing down. Love had been his weakness, but only she had been cunning enough to realize how to take advantage of his only vulnerability. And although much had changed over the millennia, her skills of perception had never left deserted her.

So when a sign of life appeared below, Elsa recognized it instantly.

\

After creeping through one of the Palace's numerous side entrances, Anna slowly made her way through the building's empty halls. The Castle was devoid of any ice statues; for some reason, all of the residents seemed to have been gathered in the entrance grounds before the ritual. Why, Anna couldn't fathom, but it gave her a straight path to her destination.

The Knight moved as silently as possible, one hand holding her sword and the other tightly grasping a knife. But there was no sign of Elsa on any of the lower floors, as she had expected. The Goddess would want to view her triumph from a vantage point, after all.

She moved even more carefully though the upper floors. With every step that brought Anna closer to her destination, the beating in her chest ratcheted up another notch. Was she really about to kill the woman she loved? Now that the moment had come, it didn't seem real.

Then her mind called up images of the statues below, of Eugene's face frozen in horror, and imagined Elsa trapped in a prison of her own for decades. Yes, Anna was going to do this. She had to.

The open door confirmed her suspicions: the Goddess was sitting in Elsa's room. Of course, it had once been Anna's room as well. Technically, it still was. The Goddess had no right to the throne of Arendelle, and any edicts she had issued were null and void.

Not that it mattered. It was wishful thinking, nothing more. Still...what Anna wouldn't give to share that bed with her Queen one last time, relaxing as the sun slowly crested over the horizon...

Her heart froze as she finally beheld her enemy. The Goddess was facing away from her, standing on the balcony and staring out into the storm beyond. There was a straight path between the two women, and Anna's knife was in hand...

Forgive me, Elsa.

The Knight's arm whipped forward, hurtling the knife forward with all of her speed and strength. Anna knew she should feel triumphant as the blade sang through the air, but there was nothing save for-

A wall of ice sprouted between the two women. It intercepted Anna's knife less than a yard from its target, cracking heavily at the point of impact but standing firm.

Then the barrier dissipated in an instant, sending the now inert knife to the floor with a useless clang. In its place were two large spikes of ice, each speeding through the air towards the Knight's body.

Anna jumped, rolling in mid-air and narrowing dodging both projectiles. No sooner had her feet touched the ground then she was beset by a large wave of cold air. The Knight braced her body against the impact, but she was still sent sliding back several feet into the hallway.

Her back hit the wall with no small amount of pain.

A second knife forced the Goddess to break off her attack. Elsa leaned to the side, easily avoiding the blade, and retaliated immediately with a massive blast of ice.

The Knight leapt towards the ceiling, and the ice slammed into the floor beneath her. Carpet and wood careened in all directions as the surface all but exploded under the impact. Realizing what was about to happen, Anna braced her legs as she fell through the newly created hole. For a brief moment, the Knight was weightless.

Crash!

Her legs slammed into a wooden surface- a long meeting table- all but breaking the structure in two. Anna had landed in one of the Castle's auxiliary conference rooms; an open door to the hallway outside filled the room with more than enough light.

The Knight scrambled away from the hole in the ceiling, jumping off the table and raising her sword in preparation for the next attack. Her opponent, however, seemed in no hurry to continue the fight. Elsa descended comfortably into the conference room, two icy jets of air beneath her feet slowing her fall.

"How?" The Goddess demanded, feet touching down onto the floor. Only a handful of meters separated them now. Still on guard for any offensive, Anna met the older woman's eyes. There was rage there, certainly, but also genuine curiosity. The question that drove it was all too obvious, but it was one to which the Knight did not have the answer.

Anna shook her head. "You tell me. Things have changed, and I know the truth now. You're not Elsa. You're the Goddess of Winter, possessing her body in order to return yourself to power. But maybe you aren't as in control as you'd like to be. Maybe the real Elsa is still in there, forcing the ritual's magic to pass over her divine consort."

The Knight's mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Her elation to once again stand in front of the woman she loved battled with the despair of seeing her consumed by such a hateful entity. Anna's hands began to tremble in fear and exhilaration as she realized that the confrontation that she had awaited and dreaded for so long had finally become reality.

Her enemy sneered. "The woman you loved never truly existed; her consciousness was absorbed into my own the moment I returned to this world," the Goddess replied calmly. She glanced at her palms, as if contemplating how she would wipe Anna from the face of existence. "Wishful thinking will not save you now. Nothing can."

"You don't know why, do you?" Anna demanded. "You don't understand how I'm here. Or, deep down, you do, and you're just trying to convince yourself. If Elsa is gone, how do I still have my powers? I bought your lies once. It's not happening again. Elsa, keep fighting! I know you're still in there. You saved me from the Goddess's storm, from her ritual...maybe you even stopped her from killing me that first night. I need you, Elsa! I always have."

Anna's best chance for victory had come and gone. But if the real Elsa could reassert her personality, even for a moment, it would give the Knight the opportunity she needed to…kill her. It doesn't matter; anything is better than an eternity trapped with that monster. It's what she would want…

The Goddess smirked. "Anna, you truly are the most worthless Ungifted I have ever come across. Yes, you did need her. What were you without her? A dog, wandering the streets and stealing scraps from your betters. You should be grateful to me, Anna. If not for my Faithful, Elsa would never have owed you gratitude for her rescue. Instead of another miserable five years of thievery and begging, you enjoyed the only comfortable months of your entire life."

Anna's fingers didn't shake twitch with fury, nor did she close her eyes in shame. "Yes, you're right. I couldn't survive without her. Now I need her again, and the rest of the world does too. Rapunzel, Eugene, Thomas, Marcus, Lenna, millions of others...death will be a mercy for them if we don't beat her here and now."

"That's curious. If I do recall correctly...minutes ago, you attempted to assassinate her with a knife to the back. Perhaps you don't love her as much as you claim," the Goddess intoned.

"Anything is better than being your puppet!" Anna retorted. "I-"

Why is she not attacking? Why is she letting me say whatever I want? The questions that finally occurred to her only had one answer: the Goddess was stalling. How much more time was there? If the ritual finished- it was game over.

Anna's knife was deflected out of the air by a lazy flick of Elsa's wrist, and the blade harmlessly clattered into the wall. The Knight moved forward to charge, but a platform of ice materialized under the Goddess's feet- swiftly lifting her back through the hole in the ceiling.

"Seconds remain, Anna," Elsa called from above, allowing the platform to wink out of existence. "Why fight you at all? Once my divinity returns, you will not present the slightest threat to me."

Anna leapt back through the ceiling, but Elsa was already sliding down the hallway, her feet gliding across a sheet of ice. "I can feel it Anna. Three seconds remaining. And my power has finally..."

Nothing happened.

Five seconds passed. Ten. "You," the Goddess whispered. "With you still alive, the ritual can't be completed. Well, I suppose you'll have your fight after all. I suppose it is fitting," Elsa smiled. "Humanity's last stand. You're truly the champion they deserve: a homeless, starving wretch who has watched friend after friend die in front of her. All fighting against an inevitable victory foretold millennia ago."

The Knight frowned. "I'm a Lady of Arendelle, and its rightful Queen Consort. The real monarch hasn't revoked those titles. She promised me that this Castle and this kingdom would be my home for the rest of my life. Remember Elsa? You promised to keep me safe! Do it now! Break free! Stop her ritual!"

"That's not possible," her enemy claimed. "It's out of my control now; I couldn't stop it even if I wanted to. The only way to free the world is to kill me, and that's simply not going to happen." The Goddess smiled, lifting her arms.

The corridor was consumed by a storm of ice.

Anna dived to the side, landing back in the royal bedroom an instant before a hail of spikes careened by the doorway. Her heart, the only thing standing between the Goddess and the return of her unlimited power, was racing furiously. If the Goddess was telling the truth (and Anna had a feeling she was), even freeing Elsa from her possession wouldn't be enough to end the ritual.

One of them would have to die.

A conflict that had waged for millennia had now come down to this final moment. Humanity and its enemy were in the same situation now. Each side had a single warrior left on the field...mismatched as they were. And when one fell, everything that champion stood for was doomed to destruction.

And apparently, I'm destined to lose.

Anna didn't want to die; no matter how much suffering she had been through, life had always been precious to her. That yearning to live had only grown after having a taste of a happy existence, as fraught with danger as it had been.

But the one thing that frightened her more than death was living on in a world without Elsa.

How has it come to this? Had their love always been doomed been doomed from the start? Perhaps in a world manipulated by the Faithful, a future in which they both survived had never been a possibility. The thought had her heart pound in frustration.

It didn't matter. The two women and the love they shared were inconsequential compared to the fate of the entire world. It was why Anna had already thrown a knife at Elsa's back, and why she would try again.

Focus, Anna.

The Knight had learned from experience. Fighting Elsa in the confined space of their bedroom was not a wise move. The Goddess swiftly arrived in the entryway and immediately let lose a powerful blast of ice, but Anna had already leapt out the window and was once again clambering down the brick wall into the inner courtyard. Judging by the sounds of chaos above, their bedroom furniture had not fared nearly as well.

No sooner had she landed than a storm of icicles erupted above her head. Anna dived to the side, wincing as she watched the vicious projectiles cut through the thin layer of snow on the ground and dive into the grass underneath. She rolled onto her feet, readying another projectile.

Elsa was descending on a floating platform of ice. Eyes widening as Anna threw her knife, the Goddess leapt off the platform and calmed her short fall with another two icy jets of air. As her feet touched the ground, Elsa lifted her hands.

Two giant snowballs were hurtling towards Anna's position. Caught somewhat off guard, the Knight swerved to the side and dodged the first before bracing body in anticipation of the second.

SLAM! The attack exploded into a cloud of white powder. Anna was elated to come off with nothing more than a small ache in her arm- before realizing that she had done nothing but weathered a distraction.

Elsa's hand was pressed against the snow. A large wave of magic radiated out from the point of contact, transforming the snow on the ground and converting the courtyard into a rink of ice. The new surface spread beneath Anna's feet, making controlled movements all but impossible.

But Anna had been thinking of this fight for months; she had a trick or two of her own ready. The Knight jumped into the air, angling her sword at the ground and slamming the point into the ice as hard as she could manage.

The extra-hard ice of Anna's blade cut through Elsa's hastily created rink with incredible ease. Flowing with the forward momentum, the Knight placed one foot of the hilt of her weapon and allowed herself to glide across the courtyard.

Thanks for the skiing lessons, Elsa.

She covered much of the distance between them before the Goddess realized what was happening. Only a few meters separated them by the time another hail of icy spikes erupted from Elsa's fingers. Anna pushed off from the ground, extracting her blade and rising several feet into the air. She deflected the storm of projectiles with a whirlwind of strikes, and came down at the Queen with a finishing slash.

"Enough!"

A massive burst of freezing air exploded out from the Goddess. The gust slammed into Anna's chest, knocking the wind out from the Knight and completely reversing her momentum. She landed on the ground, sliding across the icy surface for several meters before coming to a stop.

"Will you ever learn, Anna? You are nothing. You were born with nothing and will die with nothing. Now."

The Knight got to her feet just as Elsa sprayed her right hand forward. A storm of icicles erupted from her palm, racing towards Anna in a continuous stream of death. Hundreds of the icy daggers were splitting through the air, each smaller and faster than the Queen's usual projectiles.

Anna's blade was a blur as she attempted to shield herself from the onslaught. Her sword intercepted many, and the Knight managed to dodge most of the rest. But not all. The icicles were too fast and too numerous.

Aah! Explosions of agony erupted on her limbs as several icicles managed to score glancing blows on the desperate Knight. Trails of red spilled into the air as the icy blades ripped through the edge of her skin. Elsa was slowly walking forward, continuing the assault without a hint of hesitation.

Gritting her teeth, Anna briefly lifted her right foot off the ground before driving it hard down into the ice below. Shards of silvery glass exploded from the point of impact, several nearly cutting through the Knight's legs. Still deflecting the brunt of Elsa's assault with her blade, Anna spotted the largest piece of ice that she had launched into the sky.

Her free arm whipped forward, grabbing the heavy shard out of the air and hurling it at her opponent. The Goddess's arm broke off from the hail of icicles to create a barrier of ice. Anna's attack shattered harmlessly against it.

But the Knight had already taken her chance to run to the edge of the courtyard. Fighting against Elsa in the open was clearly a losing proposition, and Anna had no desire to continue being cut to ribbons. She closed her eyes and threw herself against one of the Palace's windows, trusting her enhanced durability to protect her from the glass.

Crash! Anna landed in one of the parlor rooms on the first floor of the Castle and immediately took off running.

An explosion of ice erupted behind her, the edge of its cold blast nipping at Anna's heels. The Knight raced ahead, desperate to get a chance to regroup. Fortunately, she knew a good hiding place.

The time she had spent exploring the Castle was serving Anna well. More blasts of ice followed her, slamming through everything in their path- even the numerous walls that defined the Palace's labyrinthine structure. The entire building seemed to shake under the impact of the blows, but Anna's speed allowed her to gain some precious distance from her opponent.

Anna raced through the corridors and up several flights of stairs, and it wasn't long before Elsa had clearly lost track of her. She couldn't help but smile as her destination finally came into sight. Sprinting through a final archway, Anna found herself once again in the Palace's massive library.

The Knight finally came to a stop near the far end of the room, having put several rows of tall bookshelves between herself and the entrance. Breathing heavily, she noted that a dim glow still shined through the room's large glass windows. It was enough to provide her with a modicum of light. And as her adrenaline began to ebb, Anna found her attention drawn to the wounds etched throughout her body.

Anna's skin, though hardened by magic against any hostile force, was marred by more than five cuts scattered over her body. Only one, left by an icicle her left calf had completely failed to avoid, was relatively deep. The Knight breathed a sigh of relief as she processed that none of the wounds were fatal- or even crippling.

But gods, they hurt. And with blood still seeping through more than one, they would weaken her even more over time. Anna healed quickly, but these cuts would not vanish for at least several hours.

As she stared at the red liquid slowly running down her leg and onto the once plush carpet, Anna's mind turned to Elsa. The Queen's powers were certainly weaker than they had once been. No Creations had arisen to challenge her, and the constant cyclone of wind that usually shielded Elsa in combat was noticeably absent. Most telling of all, no massive storms of ice had been launched against the Knight.

But she still doesn't have a scratch-

BOOM!

The glass windows shattered as a massive blast of compressed air slammed into the Castle's exterior. Anna attempted to shield her face as shards of glass and freezing wind ripped into the room, but it was only by sheer luck that she wasn't impaled.

Elsa was floating outside of the Palace, supported in the night air by a levitating platform of ice. The continuing snowstorm whipped around her, but the Queen paid it no heed. There she stood, surrounded by her element- it was a sight that would have once taken Anna's breath away.

In fact, it still did.

"Such a predictable fool," the Goddess scoffed, the words easily carrying through the vacuum where the windows once stood. "Frightened and desperate, where else would you go but here? The first place you and your precious Queen truly bonded. It would be amusing were it not so pathetic."

Anna gritted her teeth and braced for an attack. "You're right," she admitted. "This was the first place I was actually happy. I think...I think it was when you agreed to play my game of choice that I first began to fall for you. Do you remember, Elsa? Here was the most powerful woman in the world, agreeing to subject herself to what she considered a children's game simply to make a homeless peasant girl smile. How could I not fall in love with you?" She allowed herself the smallest of grins. "The frozen chocolate certainly didn't hurt either."

The Goddess's gaze drifted down towards Anna's feet, resting on the splotches of blood that had been engrained into the carpet. For a brief moment, the only sound in the world was the snow still whipping through the night sky.

"That woman is gone, Anna. And you-" Elsa's arm surged forward, but the Knight was prepared for an attack. She leapt into the air as several shards of ice zeroed in on her position. Anna's momentum carried her over the nearest large bookshelf; she landed behind it as the spikes embedded themselves into the wood.

Okay, I have some cover in here. If I can maneuver- her thoughts were cut off as a brutal gust of air invaded the room. The next second, her world was nothing but confusion and pain as the bookshelf fell backwards.

The Knight instinctively raised her arms to protect herself, but the force behind the gust was too great to oppose. The bookshelf slammed into Anna's body, knocked the Knight onto her back, and pinned her to the floor. Anna's muscles exploded in pain, even as books and dust rained down onto her form.

No! Anna would not die like this. Ignoring the protests of her limbs, the Knight lifted the bookshelf several inches and rolled out from under it. She looked up into the sky to see Elsa zooming into the library, her feet skiing across a trail of ice fifteen feet above the floor.

Anna dived to the side as a pillar of ice erupted from beneath her position. Her hand found a large table leg- without thinking she hurled the structure at Elsa. A wall of ice appeared in the middle of the room, easily deflecting the attack, but the distraction gave the Knight time to dive behind another bookshelf.

She would be found within seconds.

If I try to fight her in the open, she can just bombard me with ice until I'm dead. But if I face her using cover, she can just knock it right back down on top of me. Even if I get close, she'll just knock me away with a blast of air again! How do I beat her?

Anna knew the answer. With surprise having failed, there was only one way.

"You know, Anna, I think that table you destroyed was the very same one you utilized to play with the Queen," Elsa intoned. "Perhaps that time together didn't matter to you as much as you profess it to. Then again, it was the only time in your life where you ever won at something."

The Knight darted out from behind the bookshelf. "Actually, not true," she asserted. The Goddess's eyes swiveled to meet her own, but no attack was launched. "I never admitted it, Elsa, but by the time we left for Eldora...you were better at checkers than me. I was happy to have taught you to play so well. It was only fair; I learned so much from you, after all. Letting me live here wasn't enough- you showed me how to do it with dignity. It was the one thing I never thanked you for...I was always so impatient..."

"You are talking to no one," the Goddess intoned. "Elsa cannot hear you. She was banished from this body long ago, and nothing you can say will change that. It is just you and me, deity and peasant girl. Your mortal Queen is gone."

Anna frowned. "Then why aren't you attacking me?" the Knight demanded. "You don't really seem like the talkative-"

Bang! Anna spun to the side as two large balls of snow flew in her direction. With a well-practiced movement, the Knight reached down for a knife and hurled it at the Queen. Precious few of the projectiles remained on her belt.

Elsa deflected the attack contemptuously, flicking a quick burst of air at the blade and forcing it off to the side. Anna used the brief distraction to vault over several bookshelves and sprint for the hallway, again feeling a large explosion of cold erupt just behind her.

The Knight ran through the corridors, putting on as much speed as she could muster. Her body had been battered and bruised by the collapsed bookshelf, and its numerous cuts had only grown more painful. Anna reached the central staircase and dashed down a level in the nick of time- a blast of ice had the entire flight of stairs crumbling to dust a moment after she passed.

By chance, she happened upon the doors of the Grand Ballroom. Well, it's as good a place as any.

But her time had run out. Even as Anna kicked open the ornamental wooden doors, the Goddess's latest blast of ice exploded not two feet behind her. No! Gods... Over a dozen tiny shards of ice found their way into her back.

She stumbled onto the hard floor of the ballroom and fell to her knees. The icicles now in her flesh were each no larger than a long needle, but they were sharp. Anna could feel warm blood starting to flow down her back, melting the splinters of ice that had cleared its path and sticking to her shirt.

Swish! Anna rolled to the side as large spikes of frost converged upon her location. Every step made her body scream out in protest. She had to do it soon. She simply couldn't fight for much longer.

"This is where we had our first dance- it was the first time you stuck up for me in front of the nobles," Anna said, her sword slashing through two more large spears of ice as she spoke. "If you don't do something now, this is going to be where I die. Elsa, please! I don't want to die at the hands of the woman I love. Haven't I been through enough pain already?"

Elsa was walking into the ballroom now. The Goddess seemed in no great hurry. Either the true Elsa was indeed fighting back in some manner, or the Goddess was simply taking the time to relish in a victory she considered inevitable.

If the past several months had taught her anything, it was that the Goddess of Winter was not one to take chances.

This was her opportunity. Elsa was on the ground and had paused her assault. Anna dropped her sword and brought her hands to the three remaining knives on her belt. One. Two. Three. The blades were launched into the air less than a second apart.

The Goddess sidestepped the first and deflected the second. But as she moved to avoid the third, Anna's fourth projectile had been thrown into the space between them.

Her ace in the hole.

In addition to his cover-spell, Pabbie had given Anna two other bottles the night the Faithful had attacked the trolls. The Knight had only used one during that battle. The other had remained in her pocket, charmed not to explode while in a confined space, and it was now time for its fire to be unleashed.

It was the same make as the spell that had obliterated the old troll and two of the Faithful's mages. The Goddess, distracted as she deflected by avoiding Anna's final knife and accustomed to not considering the Knight's projectiles any real threat, failed to notice the tiny glass bottle until it smashed into the ground before her feet.

A devastating inferno instantly exploded out of the remnants of the bottle, consuming Elsa and encompassing nearly half the ballroom. The columns of flame persisted for several seconds, turning all they touched into ash.

Anna sank to her knees. It's finally over. There was no joy in that realization; even the thought that millions across the world were unfreezing couldn't bring her relief. Any remnant of Elsa was gone, and the world seemed emptier than it had ever been.

"Fool."

Anna's mouth gaped open in pure horror. The inferno was dissipating to reveal a small cyclone of ice and freezing wind. Standing in the center of the miniature hurricane was Elsa. The Queen's skin was singed with blackening ash, and long trails of smoke could be seen flowing from her hair. But she was very much alive.

And virtually uninjured.

"Did you really think the parlor tricks of an old troll could stop me?" the Goddess demanded. With every word she spoke, the flames smoldered lower. "I have performed feats of magic that have made the entire planet tremble, made deals with beings more powerful than you could begin to comprehend, and weathered assaults that would have reduced this entire Castle to dust. I will keep your lover imprisoned for eternity and remake this world as your corpse rots in my dungeon!"

Elsa's hands whipped forward. The cyclone of air, now a torrent of frost and smoke, reformed into a massive gust of wind. Anna was lifted off of her feet before she could even think of resisting.

SLAM! Her body hit the far wall of the ballroom with a sickening crunch. But Anna didn't need to hear the sound to know that at least one bone had been broken. A surge of pain sprouted in her left shoulder, its tendrils spreading down her arm and across her neck.

But the blast had done her an enormous favor. The entire room shook under the force of the attack and the walls, already weakened by the inferno, partially gave way under the weight of the ceiling. With a mighty roar, the middle portion of the room caved in on itself, and the two combatants were separated by a wall of rubble and cloud of dust.

Anna's sword had been swept up in the gust, and the Knight was fortunate enough to spot the blade only a meter away from her feet. She picked it up gratefully; it was now her only weapon.

It wouldn't be long before Elsa found her way through- the chasm of rubble was already being buffeted by blasts of magic from the other side. Anna's only option was to run.

So she did.


	93. Fallen: Chapter 26

You fight me. But it matters not. If she strikes, that which empowers you will suddenly serve me.

It was almost a shame that the original Elsa had not picked a more intelligent consort. A red trail of blood darted through the Palace corridors; not the slightest effort had been made to conceal it.

There could be no victory against her through strength, and that was all that Anna possessed. A consort would never have the power to overcome a divine, even at her weakest state. After millennia of striving for this day, it would end with such an anti-climax.

It is time for this world to die.

\

How long did she have until Elsa made her way through the rubble? Minutes? Seconds? The Goddess was hell-bent on her death, and she clearly didn't care if she had to destroy half of the Castle to accomplish it. Even as Anna ran through the halls, the sound of wood and stone crashing through the air echoed through the corridors.

Anna's heart raced with fear. In all her life, she had never felt further from being a Knight of Arendelle. Anna wanted to hide...needed to hide. Wherever she went, the Goddess would eventually find her, but that didn't really matter at the moment. Anna's beaten, terrified body would do anything to postpone that slaughter for as long as possible.

Barely even comprehending where she was going, the young woman found herself in an out of the way parlor on the opposite side of the Palace's second floor. She closed the door frantically before scurrying behind the sofa. Silken pillows and a hardwood frame would do nothing to protect her from the next vicious assault of ice magic, but they somehow made her feel slightly safer.

There was nothing she could do. Anna had gone up against a weakened Queen, armed with the element of surprise and a readiness to kill. Yet the result would be little different than their first confrontation. The Knight was still alive- and still able to swing her sword- but her body was decorated by blackening bruises courtesy of the walls and bookshelves that had become Elsa's weapons. Blood still dripped from the numerous cuts left behind by the Queen's icicles, and the pain in her left calf had only grown with time.

Worst of all was the mess in her left shoulder. Something had been broken there, and Anna could barely find the strength to lift her left arm. She would be fighting one-handed from now on.

Elsa hadn't even been touched. Even Pabbie's most powerful spell had done little but mess up her hair. Finally, Anna grasped the ugly truth. For weeks, she had agonized over the decision to kill the woman she loved. Now she realized that such an option had never been open to her.

The Goddess would find her. Perhaps Anna would manage to fight for a few minutes more. And then it would be over. Humanity would face an unimaginable future, and the true Elsa would be imprisoned by a monster for eternity.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Snap out of it, Anna! The entire world is counting on you! How many people have died to get you to this point? the Knight berated herself. Yet what more could she do? Anna had fought her hardest, attempting to kill her soulmate while sustaining wounds that would bring any warrior to their knees. All to prevent a future that history deemed inevitable. Even Drell, a fanatic who had spent his entire life fighting the Faithful, had believed it was hopeless when the true prophecy made itself known. The world shall know divinity once more.

And what had her fight accomplished? Nothing. Entire sections of the Castle were in ruins, but the Goddess was no closer to defeat since they had begun. It was a miracle Anna hadn't been killed already...

Or was it?

Was it wishful thinking, or had the Goddess shown some hesitation as the duel went on? By all accounts, her opponent should have been eager to kill Anna as quickly as possible, yet she had allowed the Knight to make her desperate pleas almost without interruption.

Even the Goddess herself had stated that she would keep the real Elsa imprisoned- a direct contradiction of her prior boasts. Hopefully, that meant…

SLAM! The door burst open under a hail of ice, and Anna's heart all but stopped.

Immediately, a massive gust of air swept into the room. Anna dived to the side just before the sofa toppled over and smashed into the floor. Scrambling to her feet, she brandished her blade and faced the Goddess.

The next attack failed to arrive. Elsa's gaze traveled over the blood on the floor, the gashes in Anna's legs, and the large bruise on the Knight's cheek. Anna's heart leapt as the faintest hint of hesitation crept into the Queen's eyes.

"You always hated seeing me hurt, didn't you Elsa?" Anna spoke softly. "You wouldn't even come to my room after my back was burned by that fire mage- you blamed yourself, remember? I didn't. And I don't blame you for any of this either!" she gestured to her wounds. "But I need you, Elsa! You're fighting in there; I can see it!"

The Goddess scowled. "Such pretty words," she scoffed. "But let us not forget why you want to 'free' her. You simply want a chance to destroy this body and your lover with it. She would be free only to feel your blade cutting into her heart."

It was all too true. Even though her mind resisted the notion, deep down she knew that Elsa would never be able to free herself permanently. A ritual prepared over a thousand years kept her personality suppressed; no one, no matter their force of will, could fight against that for long. A brief moment was all she could hope for.

"I can't do this without you, Elsa," Anna managed, her voice cracking. "She's too strong. I need to...kill you, and I know you're prepared to make that sacrifice. You've always valued my life over your own, even when you shouldn't have, and as much as it frustrated me- part of me loved being your priority. Just like you were mine."

The air between them was thick with tension, but the Goddess still made no move to attack. "It is all for naught, Anna," she intoned with a shake of her head. "Elsa is gone. I am the only being in control of this body, and I do not love you."

A jolt sparked in Anna's mind upon hearing her enemy's words, but she couldn't place it.

"You remind of her, you know," the Goddess continued. "The woman whose rise made all my ambitions possible. She too fought against her betters, despite being woefully outclassed in both knowledge and power. I watched her struggle throughout the very war she had started, driven by her love of the King to battle against gods who towered above her. I would have enjoyed punishing her for her insolence, but I suppose I shall have to settle-"

A barrage of icicles erupted from the Queen's palm. Anna once again dived behind the sofa, grabbed its frame with both hands, and hurled the entire couch at her opponent. As a wall of ice rose to deflect the attack, the Knight took the chance to deliver two powerful kicks to the nearby wall. Her injured leg screamed in protest, but the centuries-old mortar gave way beneath her strength.

Anna rushed through the breach into the next room- another parlor- and threw herself at its wooden door. The structure gave way immediately, and Anna was racing through the corridors just as the Goddess regained track of her position.

Blasts of magic pursued her down the corridor, and another wall of ice sprouted between the Knight and the central staircase. Anna charged at it- shoulder first- and the barrier crumbled in her wake despite the resultant explosion of pain in her right arm.

Anna jumped down the stairway, entire staircases at a time. Seconds before she reached the bottom, explosions of frost began to decimate the structures above her. The Knight jumped, reaching the ground just before the lowest stairway erupted into splinters behind her.

Then she was sprinting through the corridors yet again. Anna knew she would have to make another stand somewhere. Swish! The Knight glanced behind her, slashed her sword through the air, and deflected two spikes of ice as she rounded another turn. Elsa was skiing through the air on a trail of ice, and it wouldn't be long before Anna was overtaken for the final time.

Desperate to stay ahead of the Goddess for a second longer, Anna barely realized where she was running. It was only after she passed underneath a massive archway- smashing through two large ornate wooden doors in the process- that the Knight noticed where she had ended up.

The throne room. A vast, nearly open space stood before her. A dozen enormous marble columns flanked each side of the room, holding up a ceiling decorated with beautiful painting of historical events that Anna had never managed to memorize. The Knight's rapid steps carried her toward the raised dais at the far end of the room, upon which sat Elsa's simple, silver throne.

Oh, gods. Anna's heart dropped like a stone as she realized her mistake. The throne room was perhaps the largest area of the Palace, and the columns offered her a small amount of cover. But in order to ensure the monarch's security, there were no entrances or windows save for the main archway. Elsa was already walking through it, and the gleam in her eyes made clear that she'd come to the same realization.

Standing on the dais's first steps, the Knight watched as Elsa flicked her wrist. A thick wall of ice rose from beneath the entrance, rising up to the archway and completely sealing the two combatants from the outside world.

"Nowhere else to run," the Goddess purred. "You will die in this room, Anna. The last hope of the old world shall perish before the throne of the new. Farewell." A deluge of spikes materialized from both of Elsa's palms. The Knight slashed through several, but her battered body lacked the speed and reflexes to avoid the assault.

Swish! A large spike grazed Anna's side, leaving behind a gaping wound. "Please!" the Knight cried out in agony. Who the plea was meant for, Anna could not say. So much pain...

Only sheer force of will allowed Anna to remain on her feet. Then, at that moment...the barrage of ice slowed. Anna gasped- a mix of pain and relief- and found the strength to dive behind one of the marble columns. Large icicles began to slam into the pillar, and Anna knew it wouldn't hold for long.

Gritting her teeth, Anna resisted the urge to bring her hand to the new wound. A sticky flow of dark red liquid was all she would find, and there was no chance that she would be able to mend the gash on her own. Swiveling her head, Anna returned her attention to the Queen.

"We would have made a great family, don't you think?" Anna called out, even as a spike of ice flew past her ear.

Projectiles continued to fly in her direction, but the Goddess's voice was laced with uncertainty. "Excuse me?" she demanded. "I know not what you refer to."

"Oh, I think you do!" Anna called back. "I...we never talked about it...there was always so much going on, but I thought about it more than once. I knew you'd need an heir eventually, but more than that...I wanted to raise a little child with you. Imagine it," she scoffed at herself. "Me, helping to raise the next Queen of-"

"Stop!" the Goddess shouted. The entire room seemed to shake as a powerful gust of air swept at the column. Anna had just enough time to glance at the falling chunks of marble and mortar before jumping back out into the open.

It was at that moment that Anna knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this fight had accomplished something. Elsa was standing several meters away, her muscles clenched as if in terrible pain.

Every second Anna survived allowed Elsa's true personality to continue to claw her way back into control. Even now, the Queen's eyes were staring at Anna's open leg wound with an expression that could not be identified.

And yet she knew that Elsa couldn't keep this effort up indefinitely.

"I always imagined we'd adopt a little girl," Anna continued. Tears nearly came into her eyes at the words. It was a dream that could now never become reality, but she couldn't help but yearn for it all the same. "An orphan- we'd save our new daughter from the life that I'd had to live. A little Princess of our own, running through the corridors just like her mother."

The Knight's hand gripped a shard of ice off the ground. Elsa still stood before her, teeth clenched and arms at her side. This was her chance. Her mind unable to block out the image of a child who would never be, Anna hurled the shard of ice at her lover's neck.

Quick as a whip, the Queen's arms sprung into action. A flick of one wrist deflected the projectile with a shield of ice- the other sent forth a burst of freezing wind that launched Anna off of her feet and into the air!

Slam! Her back collided with the stairs of the dais. All of the wind had been knocked out of Anna...blood dripped onto her back...and the Goddess was already beginning her next assault.

Fueled with nothing but adrenaline, the Knight leapt off the floor and landed behind Elsa's throne.

What had happened? Even to her muddled mind, the answer was all too simple. If fear for Anna could give Elsa the strength to fight back, then fear on the part of the Goddess could give her enemy the will to regain full control.

Gripping the light throne with her good hand, Anna whipped her right arm back and hurled the chair across the room. With a smirk, Elsa curled her fingers and willed a wall of ice into existence.

The throne of Arendelle shattered into a dozen silver shards.

"It's over," the Goddess intoned, dismissing the wall into mist. Perhaps a slight amount of hesitation showed in her step, but Elsa began to walk forward and lifted her hand. BOOM! Anna rolled to the side as a pillar of snow appeared beneath her legs and rocketed up to the ceiling.

The Knight came to her feet just in time to see the glint of a massive spike of ice aimed at her heart. Anna twisted to the right, avoiding the attack so narrowly that a sensation of cold swiped across her chest. She came forward- and played the last card she had left.

Anna right arm whipped towards Elsa, throwing her sword with perfect accuracy- the only thing the Queen might not expect. The blade sailed through the air, its point unwaveringly angled straight at her enemy's chest.

A mound of thick snow materialized in the middle of the room. Shunk! Anna's sword buried itself into the barrier all the way up to the hilt; within a moment, its forward motion had stopped completely. Clang! Anna winced as the blade fell to the floor, freed by the dissipating snow.

"A true work of art," the Goddess intoned. Anna said nothing, her eyes shining with fear. She was out of options.

The Goddess knelt down, picking up the weapon. The icy blade sat across her palm, and her eyes beheld it with both contempt and reverence. "It was a weapon worthy of my Faithful...but it has been sullied by your grasp. Its magic was weaved so tightly that I could not touch it at a distance, but now..."

She ran her hand across the blade, and Anna watched in horror as cracks spread out across the surface. For several seconds, the Goddess did her work, staring at the sword with a look of great concentration.

Then a thousand glistening crystals of ice fell to the floor, all sense of cohesion lost.

With a smile, Elsa discarded the now empty hilt and resumed her advance. "Your last defense is gone. Her pitiful resistance has been crushed. This world has ended."

Anna frowned, responding with bravery she didn't know she had. "Then why are you still talking?"

The Goddess spread out her arms, and a dozen vertical shards of ice appeared in the air. Anna barely had time to acknowledge their presence before they shot forward like a cannon. All twelve spun end over end, each a deadly pinwheel eager to sink into her flesh.

Anna's reflexes were finally spent.

Her rapid, last-second dodge carried her past all but two of the shards. One sank into her left heel, and the pain that erupted there was enough to instantly bring the Knight to her knees. The other-

Even as her knees slammed into the floor, Anna's horrified eyes were drawn to where her right hand had once been.

No! Gods, no... Her wrist had been cut clean through! All that remained in place of her hand was a growing deluge of blood.

Her right arm had gone mercifully numb. Anna cradled her wrist into her chest, unable to process her loss. She tried to rise- her legs simply did not have the strength. Several of the icy shards had landed near where she had fallen, but the Knight would never hold a weapon in her dominant hand again.

"A-"

Elsa! The Knight felt a brief flare of hope. Through her tears, she looked up to see Elsa slowly walking towards her. The Queen's eyes were half closed, her movements so haggard that it seemed as if she was battling a wound of her own.

But it was still clear who was in control.

The Goddess raised her hands, but no ice materialized. "She fights me," her enemy admitted with a pained voice. "Terror and grief are powerful emotions, and they give her enough temporary strength to resist my control."

The sound of her every footstep echoed across the room as the distance between them narrowed. "But once the shock of your death passes, the unrelenting power of the ritual that brought me to this body will continue to smother her resistance. And when my full power returns, I shall ensure that her will can never arise again."

Anna stumbled forward, coughing up blood as she slid on her knees. Her remaining hand clenched around an intact shard of ice- razor sharp and nearly half as long as her sword, it made a passable dagger.

Elsa's shadow loomed above the Knight. Anna glanced up at her enemy- only inches separated them now. Her eyes moved to the Goddess's heart, protected only by a thin dress of ice.

Still no sign of attack, though Elsa's palm remained outstretched.

"Arise, Queen-Consort of Arendelle. Strike down the architect of all your suffering and change the destiny of this world," the Goddess beckoned with a mocking smile. "Free the woman you love from this curse with the sweet release of death.

Anna's hand clenched. She could do it! The Goddess's chest was well within range of her arm. A single strike was all it would take. Anna took a deep, painful breath and...

No. Attacking would only give her enemy the chance to regain full control. It was exactly what the Goddess wanted. But what else can I do? Pain and blood loss would bring her to unconsciousness before long. Elsa couldn't keep the Goddess at bay forever, and then...

A thin smile graced her enemy's lips. "You know the truth, Anna. Destiny has arrived. No matter how hard you fought, you never had a hope of victory. And the delicious irony is that, thanks to Evangeline's inspired efforts, your name will go down in history as a spy for the Southern Isles and a butcher of children. I only wish you could live to see it."

Anna was paralyzed still, completely frozen save for the blood slowly dripping out of her. How could this be the end? She stared into the face of her enemy, a woman responsible for more atrocities than any human could comprehend...and the planet's new eternal ruler.

There was no way out. No way to win. Anna's fight had been enough to bring Elsa to the surface, but only the most grievous of injuries had- maybe -given her control for the shortest of moments. And if the Goddess could regain control any time Anna attempted to take advantage, what was the point?

As a thin pool of blood began to spread out from beyond her knees, the Knight realized that her fight was all but finished. "Elsa...I want you to know something."

It wasn't about trying to win any longer- she simply wanted to offer some last comfort to the woman she loved before her time on this earth ended. "This isn't how I wanted to die...I'm not ready to die," Anna admitted. "It wasn't an easy life, or a happy one. But all of the pain and suffering was worth it to spend a year with you." She sighed. "If any good came out of this...out of what she's done, it was that I had the chance to love the most amazing woman in the world. She'll never be able to take that from us, no matter how powerful she becomes."

Anna could see the fight in the Goddess's eyes. Any moment now, her enemy would regain full control. That would be the end.

But there was still life in her veins, and the Knight would not go quietly. Whatever the world would think of her, Anna was a hero. Neither her pitiful birth nor a painful death would change that.

She slowly raised the shard of ice off the ground. Futile though it might be, Anna would make one final attempt to destroy her enemy. The instant she moved forward, the Goddess would strike. It was hopeless.

But Anna was going to die trying.

The Knight's mind turned to the only fond memories it had...searching for a good thought to go out on. Skating, playing checkers, sharing dinner with Elsa. Dancing at the ball. Anna was still embarrassed to remember that she had passed out during their first-

"I am the only being in control of this body, and I do not love you."

"Free the woman you love from this curse with the sweet release of death."

It was in that moment that Anna finally understood. All along, she had thought it some strange peculiarity of magic- but the answer had been so simple. And if she was right...

I need a moment to act. Nothing else matters. Grief and fear were what gave Elsa the strength to resist. Anna considered her options. She couldn't maintain consciousness much longer; it would have to be all or nothing. One last effort.

Her fingers clenched around the shard of ice. Could she really bring herself to go through with this? The Knight's arm trembled as terror began to take hold. I...I can't...

Anna thought of Rapunzel and Eugene, both of whom had gone to hell and back to help her. She remembered Kristoff, Pabbie, and the trolls, sacrificing their lives simply to keep her alive for another day. And she looked into the eyes of her soulmate, knowing that Elsa was fighting tooth and nail to protect her. They'd all believed a peasant girl could save the world.

I can. I will.

With a deep breath, she accepted what she would have to do. Even as the realization seeped into her consciousness, Anna's remaining limbs already felt weaker…the shard grew heavier in her hand.

But Anna still had enough strength for a final play.

She lifted her remaining hand, the shard of ice still firmly clenched in its grip. The Goddess's lips raised in an expectant smile, ready for Anna to make her final move. And so she did.

With all of her strength, Anna plunged the icy dagger into her own heart.

Nothing she had endured had ever compared to this. Every centimeter the blade traveled through her organ ignited a supernova of pain. At any other time, a second of this agony would have been enough to knock her out instantly.

But that couldn't happen now. Not while she still had a job to do. Her back hit the ground, but she remained conscious.

"ANNA!"

It was the most devastated scream the Knight had ever heard, but the sound of her love's voice finally freed from captivity gave Anna the strength to move. Elsa's eyes were clear of triumph or malice- nothing but shock and terror remained. But her control wouldn't last long.

Releasing her grip on the shard now embedded in her heart, Anna reached up and grabbed the folds of the Queen's dress. With the last of her strength, she tugged Elsa down to her level and smashed their lips together.

\

The Goddess had watched, confused, as Anna dealt herself a mortal wound. Pain had instantly exploded in the back of her mind, her limbs had ceased to obey her, and the deity was reduced to the role of observer. Elsa's horror had given her consciousness the chance to take control, but the Goddess had been momentarily unconcerned. Nothing could resist the magic of the ritual for long, and already the divine had felt her pain receding.

That was before their lips had met in a brief, bloody kiss.

For a few short moments, all the Goddess knew was agony. Every piece of her essence melted into white-hot pain. In the depths of her mind, the deity understood what was happening. The curse upon Elsa was being broken. And she was the curse.

She'd been seconds away from ultimate power. And, in the last moment before her essence evaporating into nothing, the greatest pain of all came from the fact that a mortal peasant girl had been the one to steal it all away.

And then she was gone.

\

Elsa barely comprehended what was happening. All she knew was that her body was hers again, and the love of her life was dying in front of her. Kneeling before her beloved, the Queen brought her hands to Anna's chest. They carefully extracted the shard, brimming with her power of healing.

The blood flow slowed, but it did not stop.

"Had to be this way," Anna murmured. Blood was now dripping from the Knight's lips, but her words were clear. "It's...too late. Only seeing me about to die could give us a chance...gods, Elsa I missed you."

No! Magic continued to pour out of Elsa's fingertips, but the wound refused to close. The damage to Anna's heart was fatal, and the only healing magic strong enough to fix it was a continent away.

Anna had done it. Elsa now realized what had happened. The ritual that allowed the Goddess to possess her had been a curse, but Anna's first attempt at True Love's Kiss had failed because no such thing had occurred. Anna had kissed the Goddess, even if the lips had once been Elsa's. Only when the Queen was back in control did the lips of the two lovers truly reunite.

The curse was broken; Anna had taken advantage of the ancient loophole weaved into the fabric of all magic to bring an end to the Goddess. With a single stroke, a millennia-long conflict had been won by a girl scorned by the world and unchosen by destiny. .

But the cost had been too high.

"Stay with me, Anna!" Elsa pleaded through tear-strung eyes. "I can't lose you again! I won't! I'm free; it's over. We can spend the rest of our lives together! Please, Anna!"

Color was fading rapidly from the Knight's cheeks. "I meant what I said...meeting you was worth it all," Anna managed. Her eyes fell to the Queen's hands. "You still have your powers...they must be tied to your body. That means that when I'm gone, this world shall know divinity once more. You. They were right all along, in a way…"

"I don't care!" Elsa shouted. "I love you! You're the only thing that matters!"

The Knight shook her head. "Listen...to me...Elsa. My last wish. Make a better world with your power. Be the just, merciful Queen you've always been. There's no returning from the Realm Beyond...even for a Consort...but I'll always love you."

Anna's breaths were mere gasps as she choked on her own blood.

Elsa closed her eyes, now openly sobbing. In moments, she could be virtually omnipotent, but not before the only thing she wanted slipped from her grasp forever. Healing magic continued to flow from her palms, but even the Queen now realized it was hopeless.

A tired hand briefly caressed Elsa's cheek, wiping away her tears. The Queen opened her eyes to see Anna staring up at her, a small smile on her lips. Blood continued to spill from her wound, but the Knight's eyes were no longer clouded with pain.

"Thank you," Anna whispered softly.

Her eyes dimmed, the once irrepressible light behind them going out forever. A final strained breath escaped from Anna's lips, and the smile faded.

Unimaginable power rushed into Elsa's veins. The last interfering life on earth had been extinguished, and the divine magic that had so long been separated from its mistress's body finally returned in full.

The new goddess barely even noticed.

\

Anna opened her eyes.

The first thing she realized was that the pain was gone. There was no hole in her chest, or any blood sticking to her skin. Save for the light touch of grass beneath her hands, Anna felt nothing at all.

Wearily she climbed to her feet. Her body was adorned with a set of luxurious yet comfortable casual clothes that she had often made use of during her time in the Palace. They were in perfect condition.

Anna's eyes turned to the land surrounding her. In three directions, there was nothing but endless fields of fresh green grass. But in front of her stood the most magnificent sight she had ever seen.

Two walls of clean, red bricks dominated the horizon. They were miles away, but each wall climbed into the blue sky. Anna looked up as high as she could, but the brick barriers were taller than her vision could reach. Together, they reached from one end of the horizon to the other, completely obscuring whatever lay beyond.

The gap between them was narrow but noticeable; the shimmering air inside it formed a visual barrier of its own. Even at this distance, Anna somehow knew that it was about three feet in length. Large enough for a person to walk through, or stand in...

I've seen it before.

Forgotten memories stirred in Anna's mind. Faintly, she recalled a woman standing between two endless walls of brick, warning her of the dire fate that was about to befall Elsa. Much of the encounter remained a blur to her, but Anna remembered being told not to approach because...

I am in the Realm Beyond. I'm...dead. It was the only logical conclusion, but her mind had resisted it for as long as possible.

Anna wasn't sure whether to jump for joy or fall to the ground sobbing. The world was saved. In the back of her mind, Anna somehow knew that Elsa had come into possession of the Goddess's divine strength. With it, she would free the entire world.

But she would never see Elsa again. Anna had known it, accepted it before stabbing herself, but processing the realization was as painful as a second stake through the heart.

Perhaps they would eventually each find their own happiness. Maybe over time, the wounds would heal. Elsa was a Queen with godlike power, and Anna would enjoy whatever the afterlife had in store.

Anna had once stated that she didn't believe she would ever have a happy ending. In a way, it seemed as if she was right. But countless millions had been saved from an unimaginable fate. The world was bigger than Elsa, Anna, and their love. It was a good ending, even if Anna herself might never truly feel that way.

She didn't know what would happen when she passed through that gap in the walls. Nothingness? Paradise? Reincarnation? No idea. But in her heart, Anna knew it was where she was meant to go.

Sighing, she shook her head and started to walk forward.


	94. Chapter 94

"Wake up. Wake up!"

Nothing happened. Elsa could feel that her powers of healing had grown; a wisp of her magic now possessed as much potency as a tear of Rapunzel's. Yet even after several minutes of engulfing Anna's body with her power, the Knight had failed to stir.

Nothing can heal the dead, no matter how powerful the magic might be, the Queen's mind reminded her. Elsa would not accept it. Anna could not be dead.

Then how was the ritual able to be completed? Elsa's thoughts again betrayed her.

"I am a Goddess!" Elsa declared, her voice echoing throughout the empty throne room. "Anna is my Consort! I choose to spend the rest of eternity with her at my side. Give her immortality!"

She was talking to the universe itself, demanding that it answer to the laws of magic that had been set in place millennia ago.

There was no answer.

Elsa hadn't been privy to the thoughts of her possessor, but she had been present to hear every curse and command issued from her lips. And now remembered the words her body had spoken to Evangeline several months ago.

"Once inside that realm, even a Consort of a Goddess could not hope to return. Only by achieving immortality before entering the Realm Beyond could a Consort hope to remain on earth forever."

This world didn't have a right to exist. Not after the one who had fought for and won its salvation had been denied the peaceful life she had long since earned.

But with a look upon Anna's still body, the brief flare of darkness vanished from Elsa's mind.

Many tried to help her. Rapunzel. Eugene. Thomas. They deserve to continue on. The people I love…the countless innocents now frozen. Anna was not the only person who deserved to live.

She was a Goddess now, but Elsa still retained her humanity. No matter how bleak her world had become, she would never condemn mankind to such a fate.

Anna's death would not be for nothing.

\

The ice was gone.

Evangeline allowed herself a private smile. If she hadn't known it was coming; she wouldn't even have realized that a wave of magic had swept across the earth. All that lingered now was the slightest sensation of cold across her skin.

It's finally over. For the countless time, Evangeline reveled in her fortune to be born in this era of history. Dozens of generations of the Faithful had made this moment possible, but she had been the one to see it through.

Of course, at the moment she was still tied up in a shack miles away from civilization, but surely the Goddess would now be able to sense her presence and rescue-

A brief flash of light filled the cabin.

Evangeline glanced up to see her Goddess standing before her. Elsa wore the same outfit she always had, but the spymaster could sense the power radiating off of the Queen.

"Your Worship," she bowed her head. "It is an honor to be in the presence of your divine power. It is with the utmost eagerness that I look forward to imposing your will upon the entire-"

BANG! A brutal gust of freezing air invaded the cabin. Evangeline and her chair were blown into the wall with such force that the wood splintered into shards beneath her.

Her ropes had slipped. Throwing them off, Evangeline scrambled to her knees. "Your Worship, if I have displeased you, I-"

"Shut up!" The unrefined language drew Evangeline's gaze to her Goddess's visage. There was no expression of cold triumph or quiet revelation in her victory. Stains of tears adorned a face utterly consumed by grief and pain.

Why? "Your-"

Another gust of air sent Evangeline back into the wall. "Listen to me, you murdering bitch. I am Elsa. The real Elsa. Anna freed me from your curse. Your Goddess has been utterly obliterated, and you're about the meet the same fate."

"Wh-what?" Evangeline managed, stammering for the first time in decades. "But she was frozen...you were...it ca-can't be!"

Elsa darted forward in a burst of inhuman speed, grabbing Evangeline by the throat and pressing her into the wall with terrifying strength. "My parents. Gerda. Anna. I'd gladly have you tortured to death for any one of those murders," the Queen snarled. "And I could do it, too." With the barest flick of her wrist, Evangeline was sent crashing into the floor yet again.

"I-I was only trying to serve you-" Evangeline's words were cut off as a painful layer of frost sealed her lips. In desperation, she tried to teleport to the door. Nothing.

SLAM! Evangeline grunted as a harsh kick slammed into her stomach. "Don't you get it?" Elsa demanded. "I have as much power as your goddess ever did. Your magic is gone- forever. Nearly anything I want can become reality now. All thanks to you!" the Queen punctuated the words with another kick.

The revelation hurt worse than any physical blow. Her magic wasn't, it couldn't be- I am an Ungifted.

"I could kill you in ways more painful than even your best torturers couldn't imagine," Elsa hissed. "And I want to. Who could stop me? I could take over this world in a day, if I so chose. Even the most powerful weapons in existence could not so much as graze my skin. I could string you up for all of Arendelle to see, and no one would protest."

The layer of frost over her lips evaporating, Evangeline gasped. "Then do whatever you want! Take over the world! You're the most powerful being in existence now, and my rightful mistress. I will gladly help you in any way that I can!"

Elsa looked at her with the utmost disgust. "If I had my way, you would be begging for death before this day was over. But...Anna asked me to be a merciful Queen. Can you imagine that? Even on her deathbed, she wanted me to show restraint to our enemies. I love Anna even more than I hate you, so.."

"Spare me, I beg you!" Evangeline cried. She couldn't die. Not like this.

Anna was dead. That much was clear from the Queen's expression alone. But even that knowledge failed to provide Evangeline any solace. The Knight had died a victor, a hero. She had undoubtedly gone to her death happy to have preserved this weak and pathetic world.

In death, Anna had accomplished everything she had ever strived for. Evangeline would die for nothing. Her efforts, her entire life…they had all been a waste. All she had done was given the world a divine monarch who would punish the Faithful and nurture the Ungifted.

She knelt before the Queen, openly sobbing in despair. "Please! I'll do anything! This world can be yours! You can ev-" Frost again took her lips.

Elsa sighed. "As Queen of Arendelle, I sentence you to death. Your crimes are countless, and your guilt is certain. Your wealth will be confiscated and distributed to orphanages across Arendelle. That is my decree."

For a brief moment, all Evangeline felt was cold as her skin once again transformed into ice. Then...nothing.

\

With a wave of Elsa's hand, the new statue dissipated into a million fluttering specks of snow.

It was far quicker a death than Evangeline deserved, but Elsa had to maintain control of herself. She would never be the Queen her beloved had wanted if she got accustomed to descending to Evangeline's level.

Her words had been true. No one could oppose Elsa now. Only the Queen's self-control stood in the way of a world governed by divine wrath.

I had to test myself. If I could give Evangeline an easy death, I'll never lose control. I will never dishonor your memory, my love.

/

The wave of magic was about to-!

Eugene glanced around. There was no wide-open country before him, no horses, and no Anna. But he was in a very familiar room, and on the balcony outside was-

"P-Punzie?"

His very pregnant wife turned around. Beside her, Thomas did the same. Both wore an expression of pure astonishment.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel ran into the room, and the Prince and Princess of Corona met in a fierce embrace. Only the fear of injuring their coming child slightly slowed their movements.

He didn't understand how this had happened, and at the moment he simply didn't care. All that he knew was that he was unfrozen and back with his family- and by the sounds coming from the rest of the Palace, the rest of the world was free as well.

Rapunzel stepped back to bestow a loving stare upon her husband, keeping her hand on his shoulder. Behind her, Thomas stepped forward to clasp Eugene on the back.

"I-what happened?" the Princess began. "We saw a wave of magic approaching, and the next thing I knew...you were calling my name."

"I don't know," Eugene admitted. "Anna and I were riding towards the Palace, and then-"

Rapunzel gasped. "Anna! You found her? Is she all right? Where is she? What-?" she broke off as Thomas laid a comforting hand on her arm.

"Perhaps you should start from the beginning," he told Eugene.

/

Rapunzel sat enraptured for half an hour as her Prince explained what had happened. They had found Anna and returned her memories. An infiltration of the Tower had revealed that Elsa was being possessed, and the Knight's powers had returned. An attack on the trolls had killed Kristoff and many others, and a final clash with Evangeline had finally revealed a flawless deception.

For once, she was stunned into silence. Her cousin wasn't an evil maniac! Anna had been found! Yet the good man she had met was dead, along with gods knew how many of the trolls. And Elsa was dead or imprisoned by a monster.

The most powerful emotion was curiosity. How had the ritual been stopped? Where was Anna? They needed answers, and they wouldn't be found in Corona.

"We need to go to Arendelle immediately," Thomas said. "Eugene and I can-"

A brief flash of light entered the room.

Rapunzel swiveled to see Elsa standing before them. The Queen of Arendelle looked just as she always had, save for the tears slowly trailing down her cheeks.

One moment was all Rapunzel needed to realize that this was not an ancient goddess of winter standing before her. This was the cousin she had known for years, and she was as sad as she had been the day her parents had died.

Only one thing could have caused such a reaction.

"No! Gods...no." Rapunzel sank to her knees. Thomas and Eugene still stood bewildered, as if uncertain that the woman in front of them wasn't about to strike them down.

Eugene took a hesitant step forward. "Are...are you-"

The Queen's gaze fell to the floor. "I'm the real Elsa," she murmured softly. "Anna wasn't affected by the ritual. She freed me, but it...it..."

"Where is she?" Eugene demanded. His hands were trembling.

Elsa pretended not to hear him. "I repaired the damage to the Castle, let everyone but the Faithful unfreeze. I brought you here before I went to see Evangeline...gave you some time to explain..."

"Answer me!" Eugene shouted.

"I…"

Anna couldn't be gone. It wasn't fair! Life didn't play by a set of rules, but if anyone had earned some peace, it was the redheaded Knight that had become such a large part of all of their lives. Rapunzel couldn't accept it.

But Elsa needed someone- anyone- right now. Rising to her feet, the Princess dried her own tears and walked to her cousin. Her arm wrapped around the Queen's shoulder.

That was when Elsa completely broke down. She returned Rapunzel's embrace, sobbing openly into the Princess's dress. Turning her head slightly back around, Rapunzel met her husband's eyes. There could be no doubt any longer.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. Gods, I'm so sorry." It was a pathetic attempt at mollifying her cousin, but Rapunzel was in need of comfort of her own.

Placing two fingers beneath Elsa's chin, Rapunzel gently lifted the Queen's face. "You need to talk to us," the Princess said softly, tears of her own now emerging. "Tell us everything."

Elsa managed a small nod.

And over the next two hours, with Rapunzel's parents joining them less than halfway through, Elsa told the whole story.

/

"Where are the Faithful now?" Marcus asked gently.

A shuddering sigh from Elsa. "After fixing the Palace, I transported their statues to an abandoned room on the third floor. Everyone else is unfrozen, but I'll deal with the traitors when I'm ready. I just couldn't...Evangeline couldn't wait. I did it quickly and humanely, like A-Anna would have wanted."

Marcus frowned. "Elsa you said...transported...?" The Queen nodded stiffly in confirmation. "And you and Eugene...what exactly can your powers do now?"

"It doesn't matter," Elsa replied bitterly. "I don't care about any of that. They can't bring Anna back, so they're useless."

Rapunzel frowned. It had been her last hope. "Are you sure?" she asked her cousin. "I-"

"Of course I'm sure!" Elsa erupted. "I poured magic into her body for an hour after the ritual ended! But I can't- it did nothing. When…when she was in my body, I heard her say it more than once. No one can come back from the Realm Beyond- the place after death. And I can't go there."

Lenna laid a comforting hand on her niece's forearm. "Sweetheart, I can't imagine what you're going through," she said gently. "But we need to take stock of the situation...make sure there's no panic. A fractured Arendelle shouldn't be Anna's legacy. Please, tell us, what are you capable of?"

Elsa's head bowed. "Almost anything," she admitted. "Ice is still my element, but I can do so much more now. Teleport myself and others. Move things with my mind. I'm completely invulnerable, and stronger and faster than Anna ever..." her voice broke off briefly. "The important thing is, no one knows anything is wrong. Most people don't even realize anything happened. Arendelle is fine. All because of her. And she can't even see it. Gods...everyone still thinks she murdered those children!"

Rapunzel frowned. "We'll fix that," she said firmly. "We'll tell everyone the truth."

Eugene opened his mouth to reply, but Elsa beat him to it. "We can't," she said sadly.

Rapunzel turned to face her cousin in shock, but the Queen continued. "Anna wanted me to continue ruling Arendelle was a just Queen. If people learned what I'm now capable of, and how close we came to disaster...there would be a revolt. I could put it down easily, but that's not...I'm not going to rule through force."

"You can still exonerate Anna," Marcus intoned. "Claim that Evangeline had framed her- that she was the traitor the entire time. Anna died foiling her conspiracy."

"It's true enough," Thomas pointed out.

Elsa shook her head. "That's exactly what I'm going to do, but...it won't be enough. Anna's reputation has already been burned into the minds of the peasantry, and the nobility trusted Evangeline. No one is going to rebel over these claims, but they won't be believed by many."

"We know," Eugene said firmly. "That's what would have been important to her. It's not enough, but…"

"You're right," Elsa replied. "It's not."

\

The next two weeks were the worst of Elsa's life.

She immediately announced that Evangeline had been the ringleader of a vast conspiracy to destroy Arendelle from within, with all of the Faithful having been its members. Nobles and commoners alike reacted with immense skepticism, but the Queen stood firm in the face of their incredulity.

The small part of Elsa that could still feel joy took pleasure in revealing to the Faithful that their dreams and efforts had been reduced to ashes. Tears, pleas, and anger erupted from throughout the crowd, but all of their reactions were met with a cold silence.

Eugene, Thomas, and her uncle spent a lot of time in Arendelle helping her put the Faithful on trial in privacy. Some were not officially citizens of Arendelle, but the Queen ignored this excuse. They were invaders and war criminals, not diplomats.

All were found guilty, though many of their families appeared to be innocent. Elsa threatened several of the Faithful with a painful death, but promised to commute their sentences to a quick execution if they publicly confessed to their participation in a vast conspiracy.

Their spirits broken, many caved to her bluff. With the backing of the Coronan noble family and further evidence retrieved from their estates, it was enough to quiet open protests of Elsa's decisions.

It was the sad, pitiful end that the Faithful deserved. After millennia rising through the ranks of the greatest kingdoms on earth, their network was dismantled within the span of a week. Perhaps some stragglers remained, but they no longer had a purpose and could pose no threat.

Destroying a conspiracy was easy when one had possessed the all-powerful magic of the last remaining goddess.

Save for the drama in the capital, life in Arendelle continued on. Few realized that they had been frozen as ice statues for hours, though scant whispers could be heard in some tavern corners.

They fell on deaf ears, no different than the countless other conspiracies circulated among the peasantry.

Elsa did not reveal the extent of her new powers- she dared not. Her new ability to teleport herself and others of her choosing, however, was disclosed to the public. Given that the Queen was already known for her ability to drown a continent in winter, most reacted with little more than a shrug.

But for all of Elsa's successes, Anna's reputation could not be salvaged. News of the two massacres had long since spread throughout the country, and few minds could be dissuaded of the 'facts' that had come to be known.

Not helping matters were Anna's actions in Elverum- her public threat to kill any who interrupted her confrontation with Evangeline had been observed (and repeated) by dozens of witnesses.

Elsa publicly revealed that Anna had been on the side of Arendelle all along, and had sacrificed her life to thwart Evangeline and reveal the truth of the conspiracy. A public declaration proclaiming as much was posted in every village throughout the kingdom.

Few believed her words. Oh, those in the Palace would nod to the Queen's face whenever the subject was mentioned, but Elsa knew a different narrative had emerged.

Arendellians of all social classes believed that Anna had been a traitor to the end. It was not that they judged their Queen to be lying- they simply considered Elsa to be blinded for her feelings for the former Knight. Matters were not helped by the fact that Elsa could produce no evidence of Anna's innocence or of her role in Evangeline's downfall.

In the end, there was nothing that could be done. Even the word of the Queen could not counter the shock of two dead classrooms and a threat to murder an entire village. If Elsa persisted in attempting to salvage Anna's legacy, she would only damage her own credibility further.

She would spend decades fuming as her citizens defiled her beloved's memory, but her security as Queen came first. Anna wouldn't have wanted her to risk another revolt, even if her powers could have crushed it easily.

And in the end, that was what mattered most to Elsa.

It burned her to the core. Knowing that the woman who should have been honored in every town across the globe as the greatest hero in all of history was vilified as the Butcher by all but a few gnawed at her soul every day.

Yet Anna's true legacy was in the world she had left behind. Elsa could, at least, honor that.

The Queen desired solitude, but her family would not allow it. Rapunzel even demanded that she be teleported to Arendelle on a regular basis, pregnancy be damned.

Elsa accepted the company, and to her surprise found that she did it gladly. Her cousin's warmth and optimism were reminiscent of Anna's own, and her presence served as a constant reminder that the Knight had not died in vain.

Still, Elsa moved through life like a ghost. Even surrounded by her loved ones, she felt utterly alone. In some ways, her days were even more painful than her time trapped within the Goddess's possession- at least then, Anna had still been out in the world somewhere. There had still been a chance.

While in her bedroom, Elsa couldn't help but think that her doors would soon come bursting open…a grinning Anna striding in their wake.

It would be easier were she not immortal. Countless men and women lost their soulmates to the ravages of time, and most at least managed a partial recovery.

But they were not trapped on the earthly plane for eternity. Eventually, Elsa's family- and the last semblance of her happiness- would pass on and leave her behind. The Queen would continue on, ageless and all-powerful. Forever.

Nothing could kill Elsa. That included herself. The King of the Gods had managed to transport himself and his fellows to the Realm Beyond, but such a feat had been aided by the countless deities by his side. Elsa doubted even she could replicate that feat alone.

She poured herself into her work. Some of her time was spent gathering the trolls- Elsa could sense their faint magic on the wind and teleport to where they stood. Soon, the camp was being rebuilt. It warmed the Queen's heart to know that at least in one place, Anna's memory would be preserved with the utmost reverence.

The first true ray of light, however, did not pierce through the darkness of her existence until a long-delayed pregnancy finally came to an end. And on that day, Elsa smiled for the first time in over fifteen months.

\

Rapunzel was still breathing heavily, utterly drained from the most painful experience of her life. But it only took one look around the room- seeing the radiant faces of her entire living family- to give the Princess a burst of fresh energy.

It had been twenty minutes since the birth, but Rapunzel could still see the glint of tears in her husband's eyes. Anna was wrapped in her arm, cooing softly in the embrace of her mother, and the Princess felt a wellspring of joy more powerful than anything she'd ever experienced.

"Can…I hold her for a moment?" Thomas asked. The Prince was eager to meet his niece, yet hesitant to remove an infant from her mother's warmth. Who knew when she'd start crying again? But Rapunzel simply nodded.

Elsa stepped forward. "Allow me," she said. A small, glittering snowflake spun to life above her palm. The infant's eyes were transfixed on the spinning crystal, and the Queen was easily able to take Anna into her arms and pass her to Thomas.

The Princess sighed at the absence of her daughter. "Elsa, are you…sure you don't mind?" she asked gently.

Arendelle's Queen allowed herself a small smile. This was not the first time they'd had this discussion. "It's not my decision to make," Elsa replied, her voice soft yet firm. "I'm going to honor Anna's memory, but that doesn't mean I own it. She would have been touched by your decision, and that's what counts."

"I don't want my daughter to remind you of…"

Elsa shook her head firmly. "That doesn't matter. Anna is in my mind every second of every day. Hearing her name won't change anything. And…" she paused, her eyes turning to the new Princess. "She'll remind me that Anna didn't die for nothing..."

The Queen didn't resist as Eugene took her into a warm embrace. "We'll make sure of that, all of us." He turned to face his daughter, a rueful smile on his lips. "You have quite a name to live up to, little one."

\

Yes, she did.

The youngest Princess of Corona shared few of her namesake's features. Her eyes bore the distinctive green tint of her mother's, and her hair was inevitably the dark brown shared by both of her parents.

But Anna would be taught to follow the example that had been set before her. She might never have to risk her life on a battlefield, but there was more than one way to be a hero. With the right guidance, she would be a true Princess (or Queen, if Thomas never had children) of the people.

The dream that Anna of Arendelle would never have the opportunity to fulfill.

"Elsa, do you want to take her for a moment?"

She nodded, accepting the infant from Thomas and taking Anna into her arms. Was it just her imagination, or was the young Princess looking at her with an expectant gleam in her eyes?

The Queen smiled, lifting one palm and willing a shimmering crystal of ice into existence. "She was a big fan of my magic too," Elsa whispered. "You might just take after her yet."

She glanced down at the innocent joy of the infant, feeling a familiar surge of protectiveness. Elsa had been unable to save her beloved, but none of her family would ever suffer such danger again.

Elsa still had much to learn about her new powers, but her instinctive grasp of these abilities and several weeks of experimentation had taught the Queen much.

There was no longer any limit to the form of the Creations that she could will into existence. Soldiers of solid ice had been supplanted by invisible, intangible wraiths of chilled air. Though still not sentient, they would follow Elsa's commands for all of eternity.

Several of each had been ordered to follow all of her family members. They were completely undetectable- not even truly present- until a threat appeared to her loved ones.

Anna would go through her entire life shadowed by these wraiths. Roughhousing with her schoolmates and training with a sword would not cause them to appear. But should an assailant attempt to cause serious harm to the Princess, he would find himself subdued within an instant.

Elsa was working on other methods, as well. With time, the Queen believed that she would be able to create a permanent magical charm that would shield anyone she wished from any serious injury.

She smiled, running her finger softly over Anna's forehead. "I will keep you safe, little Princess. I promise."

And so the day went on. All things considered, it had gone perfectly. The new Princess was healthy, Rapunzel was recovering steadily from the birth, and the people of Corona were ready to welcome the newest member of their royal family.

The only interruption occurred several hours into the life of Anna of Corona. During her presentation throughout the Castle, one of the nobles in attendance briefly objected to the Princess's chosen name.

"It is…adequate, I suppose, but pedestrian by any standard," the Lady noted. "Should Her Highness not be named after one of the royals or heroes of Corona's history, rather than a trite label already worn by a thousand peasants?"

It only lasted for a brief moment, but the glare she received from Rapunzel was enough to silence all protest of the new Princess's naming. Forever.

\

Three weeks had passed since Anna's sacrifice, and the day Elsa had been dreading finally arrived.

Anna's body had been preserved by Elsa's ice, but no amount of healing magic or pleading to the cosmos had managed to restore her love back to life. Even Rapunzel now said that it was time to find some closure.

Not likely.

Still, deep down Elsa knew that the time had come. Part of her wanted to make it into a lavish public spectacle…to force the citizens of Arendelle to respect Anna's sacrifice. She could demand that a parade march through every street in the city- command that every citizen in the capital acknowledge their savior.

But Anna wouldn't have wanted that. The Knight would have desired for everyone at her funeral to be a genuine mourner, not a captive citizen or two-faced sycophant.

It was Eugene who suggested that a private memorial be held on the grounds of Arendelle's Castle, near the buffs overlooking the sea. All of those who had perished in the Faithful's campaign would be honored, in order of their time of death.

General Kale. Gerda. Kristoff and the trolls. Anna. All would be paid their proper respects. Elsa made it a point to personally visit the families of Kale and Gerda and, after extracting oaths of secrecy, revealing the true circumstances of their deaths.

Talking with Kai and Gerda's family had been especially difficult. Elsa had met them several times in the past during their visits to the Palace, and the Queen had never had a chance to process her grief for Gerda's murder.

It was a strange group that attended the ceremony. A small number of human families (including, of course, Corona's royalty) joined with every surviving troll to honor those who had fought and died for the world's future.

Each human and troll who had perished was represented by a speaker who shared some words for their departed loved one. Sitting in her chair, Elsa forced herself to listen to each and every one of them.

I'm not the only one who lost someone, she told herself, even though a bitter part of her doubted that any suffered as much grief as she.

What could not be denied was that Anna would never even have made it to the gates of the Castle without the sacrifices of all these others, and for that Elsa would be forever grateful. And so she bowed her head and listened intently as each mourner spoke, all the while both anticipating and dreading what was to come.

Then it was time.

Barely managing to suppress the tremble in her fingers, Elsa walked up to the small podium that had been placed on the grass. A single, closed casket rested on the ground beside it, only a meter away from the cliff above the sea.

Of all those who had died in the Faithful's campaign, only one body had been found and preserved.

Elsa glanced at the coffin. At her unspoken command, the lid slowly lifted open to reveal a body that until just recently had been completely preserved by a layer of ice.

The Queen found herself staring at her soulmate's corpse, still unable to truly process that Anna was…gone. Elsa looked out into the crowd sitting before her, blinked away her tears, and found her eyes zeroing in on Rapunzel.

Still holding her daughter firmly in her lap, the Princess gave Elsa a sad yet encouraging smile.

It was enough for Elsa to fumble for the paper she'd kept in her pocket. Though ordinarily capable of memorizing any speech set before her, she knew her capabilities as a public speaker had never been tested as they would be today. She would not allow herself to make any mistakes.

She glanced down at the paper before finally beginning to speak. "All of us knew Anna. She was…she was a hero, a friend, a- She was- I'm sorry, I… She…"

No. Elsa had promised herself that this would not happen. She would not break down and cry at her beloved's memorial. And yet she found herself staring at the paper below her, all sense of time and continuity gone. The sobs were beginning to break through.

A sudden, soft pressure on her shoulder. Elsa glanced up to see Rapunzel standing beside her, Princess Anna having been placed in her father's arms.

Wordlessly, Rapunzel gently extracted the speech from her cousin's unresisting fingers. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Elsa, she began to read.

"Anna was a hero, a friend who offered her kindness and support to any who would ask it. She saved a world that had given her nothing but pain and false promises, and I will never forgive myself for failing to protect her."

"Many of us had the fortune to know the kind, simple, and brave woman that we honor today. For me, Anna was more than a companion- or a lover. She was the light of my life, and no day will ever be as bright as the ones where she stood beside me."

"My mother once said that I would be the greatest Queen in the history of Arendelle. But although I have tried to live up to those words, she has been proven wrong. Anna may not be addressed as royalty in the history books, but I will always consider her my wife and my Queen."

"I have never met a person so selfless, so ready to sacrifice herself for others despite having such a strong love of life. She was willing to die for me when we were mere strangers, and asked for no reward in return. I don't know if I will ever manage to live up to her example, but I will spend the rest of my life trying."

"The pain of Anna's absence is with me each and every moment. Yet I consider my grief worth the price of having had the privilege to love her. Thank you, Anna. For everything."

There were tears now flowing from Rapunzel's eyes. Elsa nodded in thanks before turning away, barely hearing the reaction of the crowd. Her eyes returned to the open casket.

At the Queen's will, Anna's body was briefly transformed into a statue of ice. And with a wave of her hand, the sculpture dissolved into a million shimmering crystal fragments that floated out over the sea.

She tried to say a brief farewell, a simple 'goodbye, my love'. But Elsa couldn't manage it. She wasn't ready.

She never would be.


	95. Chapter 95

In any other circumstances, the power flowing through her veins would have been nothing short of intoxicating.

Even after everything that had happened, a large part of her couldn't help but marvel at what she was capable of. The ritual had fulfilled its promise, granting her abilities that the young woman wouldn't have believed possible.

She could run through the grass as fast as the wind, jump and hover in the air so long she could practically fly…and that was just the beginning. In time, there was no telling what she would be capable of.

Yet all the magic in the universe wasn't enough to fill the hole in Anna's heart. She hadn't been able to resist the urge to experiment with her new abilities within this grassy plain, but her mind was never able to stop thinking about what she'd left behind.

Elsa.

Anna had learned how to be patient. A lifetime of suffering and denial had taught her how to cope without the things she wanted. If Elsa had still been mortal, and they would join together in this realm eventually…Anna could have lived with that.

Well, sort of. Can you live with something when you're dead? I wonder if any philosophers have ever tried to answer that question?

The Knight sighed.

There had always been a chasm between herself and Elsa, a divide of power and social standing that would never be erased. And, in time, they had worked around it. Embraced it, even. Both had been more than ready to commit to a marriage as unequal as any, their mutual respect and adoration more than a match for the scorn of high society.

Yet the divide between them had grown too great. The gap between a peasant and a Queen was nothing compared to the disparity that separated a dead mortal from a Goddess.

Anna remembered her duel with the Knight Vrael, after the man had insulted her one too many times. It seemed like a lifetime ago…well, technically, it was. She'd stood on the dueling arena and stared up at Elsa high in the stands, believing that the beautiful Queen was forever out of her reach.

In a way, she had been right.

Elsa had the gift and burden of eternal life. Anna now belonged to a different realm. Even as she had the thought, the Knight felt inexplicably drawn to the gap between the two brick walls that dominated the horizon.

Even as she experimented with her powers, Anna found herself moving closer and closer to the entranceway. It was where she was meant to be. The realm of the living was only a memory, and these grassy plains were nothing but a temporary stop.

Anna couldn't see past the shimmering veil that resided in the gateway, but the land beyond called to her very soul. It promised peace, rest…a release from all her burdens. Anna would become a part of it, as was the destiny of all mortals.

She just wished she wasn't walking in alone.

The Knight wasn't certain how much time had passed before she found herself walking resolutely towards the shimmering entranceway. Anna was staring at the gap, only meters away now. It was time to pass-

"Well done."

An olive-skinned woman had appeared within the archway, shimmering along with the veil. Anna stopped walking, glanced at the newcomer's light brown hair and green eyes, and instantly remembered.

"You!" the Knight nearly shouted. "You're the one who tried to warn me about the Faithful! I…it's all coming back to me now." Anna brought a hand to her head, struggling to process all of the memories rushing back at once. "You…told me I needed to remember. But I didn't."

The other woman nodded, her expression unreadable. "You were in too deep a sleep to retain those memories. I was wrong; we couldn't stop the prophecy from coming true," she admitted. Her lips curved into a smile. "But you still won. Sacrificing yourself and kissing her- it was an inspired move. Elsa chose her consort well."

Anna frowned. The archway ahead still called to her soul, beckoning the Knight forward. She planted her feet, subconsciously resisting its pull. "Well…thanks," Anna replied. "It's nice to know that the Queen of the Gods believed in me."

The older woman's eyebrows rose. "Figured that part out, did you? Yes, I am she. The one the Goddess of Winter used to bring down the King's reign. You're wrong about one thing, however. Once Elsa was possessed by her former incarnation, I didn't have much hope any longer. In fact, I thought you were screwed."

The Knight nearly jerked back in surprise at the coarse language.

"Don't take it personally," the Queen replied, her smile still in place. "Even you, from what I could see, doubted that you had any chance of success. Which, it seems to me, makes your triumph all the more remarkable."

Anna smiled slightly at that.

Wait! If she can see into the mortal world somehow, then maybe she could tell me-

"Your Majesty! Or…Your Worship! Well…whatever I should call you- can you tell me what's going on in the mortal world? Elsa, Rapunzel, Eugene, are they…"

The Queen nodded. "They're all fine. Elsa unfroze everyone and crushed the Faithful. Most of the world is none the wiser. Rapunzel and Eugene have had a daughter. Princess Anna of Corona."

Wow. Rapunzel had once mentioned that she was fond of Anna's name, but the Knight never would have imagined being the namesake for Corona's heir. The happy thought was followed by a wave of sadness; she would never meet the young girl who she might have called niece.

The pull of the gateway redoubled at the thought. All her sadness would end as soon as she stepped into the shimmering light. Even as she drew closer, Anna's heart began to feel a sense of peace.

"Stop!" the Queen commanded.

Startled after her near-trance, Anna did so. Why would the Queen want to keep her away from the entranceway? It was her destiny. Where she belonged.

"I'm not here merely to congratulate you," the other woman intoned. "I've noticed that there are some details that both you and your Queen seem to have overlooked. Or perhaps neither of you have all the pieces of the puzzle."

Anna frowned. "What details?"

"You know that the rebellion against my husband started when he was forced to make me his consort earlier than intended, I believe? Drell mentioned that to you."

The Knight nodded.

"Elsa, at least, is aware that the Winter Goddess was the one who made it necessary. What she might not know- I don't think she was privy to the Goddess's thoughts- is that it was done through my death."

Anna stepped back in shock. "You…that can't be. She mentioned that she watched you fight during the war! How could that be the case if you…?" the implications of her words were becoming readily apparent. The Queen simply nodded, prompting Anna to continue.

"You came back," the Knight breathed. "But-but how? Everyone said that there's no returning from the Realm Beyond, consort or not."

"And they are correct," the other woman agreed. "But you are not in the Realm Beyond yet, are you? Neither was I, after my first death."

Anna could barely speak, her mind racing with the possibilities. "I…I don't understand. I'm dead, aren't I?"

The Queen dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Yes. Your funeral was lovely. Elsa dispersed your body into a thousand crystals of ice."

"Already?" Anna blurted out.

"Time flows more slowly here," the Queen replied. "Anyway, the Realm Beyond isn't, shall we say, the first stop after death. The grassy plain you are standing on is a limbo, of sorts. But you won't join me in the Realm Beyond until you pass through this gateway."

It was still calling to Anna, promising an end to all her burdens. Hadn't she earned a rest?

Anna's eyes widened. "I remember now! The first time I met Kristoff, when we were going to see the trolls, he mentioned a legend…about how a war between the gods started because the King rose up a human girl from the underworld. That was you!"

"Well, I don't know if I'd call that grassy plain the underworld, but yes, the legend was rooted in truth," the Queen admitted.

The Knight's mind was still spinning. "But if Elsa is at full strength, and I'm her consort, why…"

"You're not her Consort. Not completely. Elsa has devoted her heart to you, but there's a problem on your end. I think, before your death, you chose to move on."

"I would never do that!"

But Anna had accepted that she and Elsa would face eternal separation. She'd had to; it was the only way to give herself the strength to drive a stake of ice into her own heart! It seemed that it had been enough to weaken their bond.

Yes, she remembered. When Anna had accepted what she'd have to do, the shard of ice she'd been holding had grown heavier in her hand. Her connection with Elsa must have weakened at that moment.

"Drell told you that a true consort receives an entirely new, immortal body. That's the option before you now. Simply decide to be Elsa's consort, and you'll return to her side for as long as she wishes," the Goddess offered.

For the first time, Anna allowed herself to believe it. She could go back! Gods, how she missed Elsa. Tears began to trickle from her eyes at the thought of embracing her Queen once again. She could-

"I would not be so quick to make your choice, if I were you," the Queen warned, her eyes tinged with sadness. "If you return, there will be…consequences."

The Knight stared at her.

"Anna, the magic of consorts is…complicated. Those loved by a deity receive both immortality and superhuman abilities, but they don't quite come in the same…package," the other woman tried to explain.

The Knight's eyes traveled back to the gateway.

"Immortality isn't just a magical power. It's woven into your soul forever…or at least as long as you're a consort. That immunity to harm, aging, and disease becomes a part of you. Your other powers, such as strength and speed, aren't as closely bound to your soul."

Anna was nearly speechless. "I…I don't understand," she admitted.

"I suppose I don't blame you. Look, Anna…usually, when a deity and their consort join together, that consort's soul transfers to their new form…and their powers follow them." the Queen continued. "But when I returned to the mortal realm, my powers didn't follow. We realized, eventually, that this aspect of my magic couldn't pass through the barrier between the limbo you stand in now and the world of mortals."

The Knight's mouth gaped open. She'd lost her powers before, and it had been a terrible shock. Especially after regaining her memory…Anna had felt unbearably weak until her talk with Drell. The shock of losing her- now incredibly enhanced abilities- once again wasn't something she wished to think about.

"If you return, you'll be immortal and invulnerable, but a normal woman in all other respects," the Queen stated firmly. "And…there's something else…"

The gateway seemed to whisper to her. If Anna walked through, she could keep all of her powers. She'd never feel weak again.

"What else?" Anna asked airily.

The Queen frowned. "Anna, I know it's tempting, but for now you need to focus. There's something you need to know."

With difficulty, the Knight tore her gaze away from the gateway and nodded.

"Elsa tried her best, but your reputation…" the Queen struggled with the words. "I suppose I just need to say it. The people of Arendelle hate you, Anna. They, well, spit on your memory. They're convinced that Evangeline was telling the truth about those children in Elverum, and after you used that reputation to your advantage…it was impossible for Elsa to truly dissuade them."

Anna nearly sank to her knees in shock. They hated her? After all she had done! The gratitude of the people had been the last thing on her mind during her battle with the Goddess, but now…

She had coped with the ire of the nobility by reminding herself that the common people stood behind her. Part of her had reveled in their approval after a lifetime of scorn in the orphanage and on the streets. It had been her dream to serve as a Queen of the people. She'd planned to walk the streets and speak with them as equals, representing their concerns within Arendelle's Palace.

The only thing they'd ever ask for now was to see Anna's head on a spike. After what had happened in Elverum, part of her couldn't blame them. And yet…

A life of hatred awaited her if she returned.

Anna's eyes were fixed on the gateway now. No one behind it would hate her. Maybe she could see her friends again. Kristoff and Pabbie. Kai and Gerda. Perhaps she could finally learn about her parents…

"That's why I wanted you to consider your choice. In many ways, it's not an easy life for you if you return. And Elsa, well…she's changed. Not her personality," the older woman corrected quickly, spotting the brief look of horror on Anna's face.

"It is the scope of her being that has changed. In certain ways, she'll be beyond your comprehension," the Queen stated. "It's difficult to explain what it's like to be with a deity, but it's not an equal partnership by any means. No matter how much our partners may wish otherwise."

The Knight frowned. "She's that powerful?" she questioned.

"More than you could imagine. Her powers seem to have grown considerably during the time they were separated from her body," the Queen answered. "Before her first downfall, the Winter Goddess was as strong as any deity. Perhaps even stronger than my husband. I don't know she grew so powerful…it's a mystery I have pondered for millennia. With time and experience, Elsa will be…"

"Practically all powerful," Anna murmured in answer. She was still staring at the gateway.

The Queen sighed and nodded. "Anna, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but…the world doesn't need you any more. Humanity remains free because of you, and it will remain so if you choose to move on. Elsa may not believe herself to be as moral as you, but she is a good woman who will be guided by your memory. The world is safe in her hands."

"So…" Anna spoke slowly. "If I go back, I'll be a powerless woman reviled by nearly everyone around me, and completely dependent on a Goddess who holds my life entirely in her hands? Those are all the consequences?"

"Yes, that's about it," the Queen agreed. "I understand that this is not an easy choice. We have time, if you want to talk through it-"

Anna laughed, and this time it was the Goddess who flinched in surprise.

"Of course…of course it's an easy choice! Gods, you had me worrying that my return would cause some magical storms or something. I can really…yes, I-I want to go back! Yes!"

I can see Elsa again. My Queen…

Every fiber of her being screamed in joy. All she had ever wanted was a peaceful life with Elsa. Picnics in the snow, hot chocolate beside the chessboard, ice-skating in the moonlight. Anna fell to her knees in disbelief as she realized it could all be hers once again.

Perhaps there would be even more, now. Brief images of a winter wedding and a little girl playing in the snow flashed through Anna's mind. Her heart seemed to burst in longing.

It was only when her hand lifted to wipe the tears from her cheeks that Anna realized she was crying. With difficulty, the Knight forced herself to climb to her feet and face the woman before her.

"Just like that?" the older woman questioned, the smile having returned to her lips. "I understand where you're coming from, but I thought you were tempted by…" she motioned to the veil.

Anna smiled. "Oh, I am. Peace and relaxation would be nice," she agreed. "But Elsa is worth more than anything the Realm Beyond could offer me. I told her I'd want to be with her no matter what happened, and I meant it."

"Then I can see your mind is made up. All you have to do is accept your position as her consort- a verbal declaration will do- and you'll be back at her side," the Queen answered.

Yes! The Knight could hardly wait. She reflexively gathered in air to her lungs…but there were still some things that needed to be said.

"So, I'll appear right next to her, right?" she clarified. "And in case she's not alone, will I still have…you know-?" Anna gestured down to the clothes she was wearing.

The older woman actually laughed. "Yes, you will be dressed as you are now," she promised. "That's how it worked with me, at any rate."

Anna nodded gratefully. "Also, before I go, could you tell me what's on the other side?" she prompted, gesturing towards the veil. "Are my friends there? Could you thank them for me? What about my parents?"

The Queen sadly shook her head. "There are some rules no being can break. Knowledge of the Realm Beyond can never pass beyond its borders. For all you know, I might be nothing more than a projection of the veil. I'm sorry, but forgoing the answers you seek is the price of returning to your Goddess."

The Knight dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"But before you go, I have some advice for both of you. Some aspects of immortality are tricky, and you and Elsa should know everything about them after you return."

Anna didn't want to wait, but she knew it was for the best. "Fire away," she prompted.

\

"It's a remarkable program, Your Majesty, and I'm proud to say that it has my full support. Perhaps you should even consider expanding it within a few years; the population continues to grow throughout the provinces."

Elsa nodded at the words of the baron of Tonsberg, feigning interest and appreciation that she did not feel in the slightest. He may cast himself as a supporter of her progressive policies, but all he truly wanted was the opportunity to gain her favor. Had she ordered that the kingdom demolish- rather than expand- its orphanages, he would have professed his support just as enthusiastically.

The Queen had always been skilled at reading politicians, though the ability had failed her on more than one occasion. But her new powers ensured that she didn't need to rely on her instincts any longer.

Though the omission filled her with no small amount of guilt, Elsa hadn't been entirely honest with her family about the true scope of her abilities. The last thing she wanted was for them to be afraid of her. And if they learned of what she could really do, they would be terrified.

Elsa was terrified.

No one could hide their thoughts or intentions from her awareness. Without even the slightest amount of effort, the Queen had peered into the mind of the baron in front of her and learned every secret he had ever possessed.

He wished to win her favor and be appointed baron of Larvik. That was a dream that would never come true, but Elsa would continue to humor his attempts.

Airily, she glanced around the Palace's dining hall. It had been too long since she had taken stock of the country's nobility, and so the Queen had invited all of Arendelle's aristocrats for a winter feast. Most were now in attendance, enjoying the opportunity to play their power games as they sampled the finest food and drink the kingdom had to offer.

She'd cast her awareness around the room, searching for any thoughts of sedition. Aside from the usual jockeying for influence among the aristocracy, there was nothing.

Elsa couldn't imagine how they would react if they understood what she truly was. It had been a month since Anna's funeral, and the Queen's control and understanding of her new powers had only continued to grow.

Her people, nobles and commoners alike, had no idea what Anna had saved them from. Elsa didn't fully trust herself with these powers, but for them to have been in the hands of a power mad psychopath was unimaginable.

Repressing a sigh, Elsa returned her attention to the baron. "An expansion would be an excellent idea, but I'm not sure if the funds are available at the moment. Perhaps if the kingdom received some monetary aid from its provinces, we could…"

BANG!

Strong, unfamiliar magic invaded her awareness. Elsa glanced up to see a girl's body falling through a small rift that had opened ten feet above the table. The Queen barely had time to glance at the portal before it closed- whatever lay beyond it was obscured from even her vision.

Then, for the first time in months, Elsa was utterly in shock as the girl's legs slammed into the table. Several of the nobles dived for cover as the structure buckled under the weight, sending gravy, soup, and wine flying into the air.

Elsa no longer needed to breathe, but the air was knocked out of her body regardless. Collapsed in a daze atop the table covers was a woman who looked remarkably like...

It can't be. She's…

The Queen's eyes roamed over the woman's features, taking in the strawberry blonde hair and adorable smattering of freckles. For several moments, she simply stared at the new arrival, ignoring the outbursts from the recovering nobility.

Happiness threatened to overwhelm Elsa's entire being, but this simply couldn't be real. Or…could it?

Their eyes met, and it was then that Elsa began to believe that the impossible had truly occurred. Only one woman had ever managed to convince the Queen that she was the most loved person on earth with a single stare.

Reflexively, she dived into the surface of the other woman's recent memories. They rushed by her in a second: arriving in the grassy limbo, a conversation with the King's consort, and her final decision.

At any other time, Elsa would have berated herself for failing to see the obvious connection. How else would the King's lover have triggered the Cataclysm, apart from an early death that forced the ruler to make her his Consort? Elsa should have realized…

But it didn't matter. Every particle of Elsa's essence vibrated in joy as she processed that Anna was here.

And this was an entirely unsuitable place for their reunion.

\

Even if her soul had still been mortal, Anna wouldn't have registered the pain.

Voicing her desire to be Elsa's consort had instantly transported her from the grassy plain to the Palace of Arendelle. The universe, it appeared, had a sense of humor after all- nothing else could account for her interesting entrance.

As she registered that she was back in the mortal world (and had just fallen onto the dining table), Anna's eyes had sought out the reason she had returned. Ignoring the sputtering aristocrats, the Knight's gaze quickly found Elsa.

The Queen's eyes were wide with disbelief. Anna understood that completely. The Knight simply reveled in the moment, smiling at the face of the woman who she loved more than life itself.

And then she wasn't on the table any longer.

The next instant, Anna was standing in Elsa's room…their room. Her Queen stood two feet in front of her, still at a loss for words. Their eyes met for a second time.

Anna wasn't sure who lunged forward first.

All that she knew was that they were in one another's arms, hugging each other with a fierceness Anna had never experienced. The Knight's knees gave way to weakness as the terror and grief of the last year slipped away at last.

It was finally, truly over.

Elsa knelt on the ground with her as Anna fell to her feet, holding her more gently now. It was only when she felt a drop of moisture on her shoulder that she realized that the Queen was crying.

They both were.

Anna wasn't sure how many minutes the two of them remained kneeling on the plush carpet, both comforting and being comforted by the other woman in the room. At last, Elsa pulled back ever so slightly.

"You're here," the Queen murmured, staring into Anna's eyes with a tenderness that the Knight had never truly forgotten.

"Looks that way," Anna agreed, before pressing her lips to Elsa's in a gentle kiss. "I…I missed you so much. Gods, that sounds…generic, but…" her voice trailed off.

Elsa's embrace grew even tighter. "I'm never letting go of you. Ever again. All that matters to me is that we're together. I don't care how generic that is," she replied, laughter seeping into her voice.

Anna grinned, happily returning Elsa's crushing hug.

It was several more minutes before either of them spoke again, each still processing the reality that they were reunited at last. It was euphoria.

"I…I'm kinda surprised you're taking it so easily," Anna finally managed, maneuvering herself so that she could glance into Elsa's eyes. "You don't even know how I came back-"

"I do, actually." The glint of doubt in the Queen's eyes made it clear that there was more to be said. Rising to her feet, Anna moved the two of them so that they were sitting on the bed, their fingers still laced together.

"When…when she was talking about what these powers could do, she wasn't exaggerating," Elsa began. "I haven't told anyone- not even the family. But you deserve to know and, well, you've always been fascinated with my magic. If you can't accept what I'm now capable of, no one can."

Anna nodded eagerly, leaning into the Queen's shoulder and gently brushing aside a stray lock of hair. "I'm not afraid of you, Elsa. And in a way, I'm the one who gave you these powers, wasn't I? It wouldn't exactly be fair if I blamed you for having them."

Elsa's eyes moved to the floor. "It's not a matter of blame, Anna," she said, running her smooth fingers over the Knight's arm.

"No, it isn't. And that reminds me-" Anna gripped the Queen with both hands, lifting Elsa into her lap with far more difficulty than she was accustomed. "There is no blame between us," she said, staring into Elsa's eyes as firmly as ever. "So many horrible things happened. I was completely broken, you were possessed by a monster…and we were some of the luckier ones. We're still here. Gerda, Kristoff, so many of the trolls…they're gone for good. But it wasn't our fault. We were puppets played by the people we trusted. They are the ones to blame."

Elsa nodded, bringing her head into Anna's shoulder and allowing the Knight to continue. "I…we finally have a chance to build a real life together, Elsa. I want that more than anything. But if we're going to do it, we can't let guilt weigh us down forever. You walked into a trap. I let myself be convinced that you betrayed me. But we never gave in, not really. We fought until the end, and we won. As bad as the last year has been, imagine what could be happening now…"

The Queen moved to look upon Anna. "You won," she said, smiling kindly. "What you did that night- it was incredible. She was destroyed because of you, Anna. Never forget that."

Blood rushed into Anna's cheeks. "Yeah, maybe, but I couldn't have done it alone. Rapunzel, Eugene, Kristoff, the trolls…they got me to that point. And you broke free. I don't think many people could have done that."

Elsa moved to reply, but Anna calmly placed a finger over the Queen's lips. "Please don't argue."

"Okay," the Queen agreed once her mouth was released. "I…I want to make a life with you too. That means you need to know the truth about me." Letting go of Anna's hands, she stood and placed herself in front of the bed.

Anna immediately missed the contact, but she nodded for Elsa to continue.

The Queen hesitated only briefly. "To start, I can read minds, Anna. Yours included. I glanced through your recent memories- I already know how you returned. It's not something I like to use on the people I care about, and I promise to never look into your thoughts again without your permission," Elsa pledged, her voice almost pleading. "But you'll never be able to know if I'm actually keeping true to that. Any secrets that you have…they could be mine the second I wanted them to be," she finished.

It wasn't a threat. It was an apology.

The Knight's mind flashed back to her conversation with the other Queen; Anna began to understand what her words had meant. How could they share an equal partnership when even Anna's thoughts could never be truly her own?

"Come here." Anna reached up and yanked her lover back into her lap. "I've been dreaming of hugging you for months; you can't escape that easily! As for that power…it's a little unnerving, I suppose. But I've always been dependent on you, haven't I? Food, clothes, freedom from prison…only mine as long as you let me have them. Even more so now, since I've lost my powers. I guess the privacy of my thoughts is just one more thing to that list. I trust you. As long as another goddess doesn't possess you, I know you'll never give me reason to doubt that."

Elsa winced, causing Anna to glance down at her hands sheepishly. "Yeah, I know, too soon. But seriously, don't worry about it."

The Queen shook her head incredulously. "Really, just like that? You trust me not to violate the sanctity of your mind? I'm a Goddess now, Anna, but I'm far from perfect. I might be tempted…"

"And if you are, I'll forgive you. Take a look, and you'll see I mean it," the Knight invited kindly.

Elsa's eyes widened in surprise, but the Queen nodded nonetheless. Anna couldn't feel her thoughts being penetrated, but a second later she received confirmation.

Once again, the Knight was enveloped in a tight hug. "I should know by now never to doubt you," Elsa whispered into her ear.

"Yeah…wait!" Anna prompted suddenly, causing Elsa to pull back. "I just realized. Won't people be looking for us by now? I mean, I materialized in the middle of a feast, and then you teleported us away…wouldn't they check here first?"

Elsa sighed. "Well, I suppose this brings me to my next announcement. Anna, I am still the Elsa you know. That will never change. But I'm also a Goddess now. That doesn't just mean mind reading and stronger ice blasts. I'm not flesh and blood any longer."

It was Anna's eyes that widened now. "Huh? But you're-" she gestured to Elsa's body, still firmly intertwined with her own.

"This is me, Anna. Most of my essence is concentrated here. But not all. I think I need to show you. Promise me you won't be afraid," Elsa requested nervously.

"I won't."

Whoa.

Elsa was still sitting in Anna's lap, wrapped in her arms. But now there was another Elsa sitting at the windowsill, staring outside. A third was leaning against the bedroom door.

"Anna-" the Knight jumped slightly as a fourth Elsa, standing in the center of the room, began to speak with her. "I'm essence now. My awareness can span an area the size of this entire Castle, and I can take whatever form- or forms- I choose. I'm concentrated in this room, yes, but I'm also having a conversation with the nobles downstairs, reassuring them that everything is fine."

O-kay, this is going to take some getting used to. Still, this does open some possibilities…

"And you can focus on everything at once?" Anna questioned as all of the Elsas- save the one on her lap- vanished.

"I can," Elsa answered. "Right now, I know that there's a maid three floors below us currently applying her ninth stitch to a tear in her dress. Nine hundred ninety-five salad plates are currently being washed by our kitchen staff. But nearly all of me is here, focused on you."

To be able to know and process so many things at once was almost beyond Anna's comprehension. Yet her natural fascination with magic overpowered any uneasiness she might feel.

"What about the other elements?" she asked suddenly. "Can you control them at all, or move objects with your mind, or appear in a form other than your regular appearance?"

In answer, the bed briefly levitated a foot into the air before touching back to the ground. A second later, the candles in the room were suddenly blazing with tiny flames.

"I can't control anything as well as ice, but yes. I suppose all deities have a certain level of control over most aspects of the world," Elsa mused. "As for your last question…stay calm, alright?"

"Ok."

Elsa's body vanished from her arms. The next second, the center of the room was dominated by an icy cyclone. Cackling with blue energy, the tornado spread ice and wind across the bedroom- yet strangely nothing was knocked out of place.

'This is me', Elsa's voice spoke in her mind. Anna flinched in surprise, still staring at the cyclone. "…I'm fine." The Knight managed.

Anna wasn't afraid. She was impressed.

The icy cyclone morphed into a blazing inferno. Heat spread throughout the room, yet the flooring and carpet weren't even scorched.

Then the fire was gone. Elsa stood in its place, looking as mortal as ever. "I can be almost anything, or nothing. I know this must be a lot to take in; I'm sorry."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Anna blurted out.

Elsa sat back down on the bed, taking Anna into her lap this time. "A few things," she murmured, running her hand softly through the Knight's hair. "I can't see into the future or travel through time. I'm not capable of granting magical abilities to other people-" at this, Anna felt a tinge of disappointment – "And I can't control minds or manipulate memories."

"Well, I suppose you can't have everything," Anna replied.

The Knight was taken off guard as Elsa enveloped her in another crushing embrace. "Sorry- I'm just so relieved you're taking this well."

"This might take some getting used to, but you're still you, Elsa." Anna leaned even deeper into Elsa's arms. "It's also pretty comforting to know I've got the most powerful person ever taking care of me."

"I'm sorry," Elsa whispered, resting her chin on Anna's shoulder. "It's not fair for me to gain all the power in the world, while you've lost all of yours. But I promise that all of my power is your power. Anything you want, I'll give you. Never hesitate to ask."

Anna turned around, kissing Elsa on the lips. "I'll keep that in mind. But I think there's one more elephant in the room. You don't need to read my mind to know what it is."

A deep sigh emanated from Elsa. "I tried, Anna. But the people of Arendelle are nothing if not stubborn. They…"

"Hate me, I know," Anna finished for her. "You can't force them to change their minds. Oh, if you wanted, you could build a statue of me in every square and force people to bow to them every day, but that wouldn't make them like me."

"If you ask me to, I will." Elsa's voice was firm. "I will do anything to make them see you for the hero you are."

Anna shook her head. "If your power is truly at my disposal, then…you'll respect my wishes and leave it be. It would cause so much turmoil; Elverum could riot! I could never forgive myself if someone was hurt just because we tried to fix my public image."

"And what will they do when I reinstate your Knighthood? When I kiss you on the altar and proclaim you my Queen?" Elsa demanded.

Anna's eyes widened, and Elsa instantly misinterpreted the doubt. "Oh. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have presumed…" the Queen bit her lip.

The Knight moved forward for yet another kiss. "Elsa, you proposed to me. I said yes. That still stands; neither of us have actually canceled the engagement, have we? We are going to be married."

"But, then-"

Anna sighed. "The people of Arendelle will know I've returned. All the nobles saw me drop out of the sky. Repeat your story: I was a secret agent of yours the whole time. But out of respect for their concerns, you won't rename me a Knight or make me Queen."

Elsa frowned. "I don't understand."

"I'll continue to live here openly. People won't like it, but they'll accept it without rioting- I think. Marry me in secret. Our family and friends will know, and that's enough," Anna finished.

The Queen shook her head. "That's not fair. You deserve better."

"I know," Anna agreed softly. It had been her dream to serve as Queen openly, acting as a voice for the commoners. Giving that up stung as much as losing her powers did. "But I can accept it. I have a beautiful Goddess-Queen who is going to provide for me, who gave me a second life. That's far more than most can say." She leaned in, resting her forehead against Elsa's. "You'd be enough to make me happy. Even if we had no money and the entire world hated us. And our situation is way better than that."

Elsa was silent for several moments.

"I suppose someone from Corona could do it- Corona! Rapunzel and the others will want to see you! It's not fair for me to keep you all to myself. But before we go…"

The Queen flicked her finger.

Hovering before Anna was a diamond necklace, its snowflake pendant shining brightly. Fresh tears appeared in her eyes at the sight of it. "Is that…but it was…?"

"It's your original necklace. Every original piece of metal and gem has been refused together exactly how it once was. Being a Goddess does have its perks," Elsa smiled.

Anna felt a familiar urge to capture Elsa's lips once again, but instead she turned around and bared the back of her neck.

"Put it on me?"

"Gladly."

\

They actually spent several more hours in Arendelle. Elsa materialized several mugs of hot chocolate in front of them as they snuggled together, simply enjoying one other's presence. Downstairs, another part of the Queen's essence placated the nobles while announcing Anna's return. Somehow, Elsa weaved together a convincing explanation without revealing her status as a Goddess.

News of Anna's reappearance would soon spread like wildfire throughout the entire kingdom. The Knight knew what the reaction would be, but as long as she wasn't made Queen, the citizens would probably confine themselves to nonviolent protests.

If her return had gone differently, Anna might have tried to convince Elsa to keep it a secret altogether. But that was not an option with fifty nobles having witnessed her falling through a portal. It would make no difference to the people of Arendelle whether she was in or out of the public eye- only her head on a pike would placate them completely.

Elsa traveled to Corona first, explaining how Anna had returned so as to not catch her family by surprise. But as soon as Anna was transported to that kingdom's palace, she was immediately tackled by a certain one-armed Princess.

Rapunzel and Eugene were quick to introduce her to Princess Anna- a fact that still made her heart swell with gratitude. But when she was referred to as Auntie Anna, the Knight had to fight back another onslaught of tears.

Eugene, Rapunzel, Thomas, Marcus, Lenna, (Princess) Anna. Elsa. This was her family now. The night was spent recounting their adventures, remembering those who had given their lives for the cause, and making plans for the future. All over an endless supply of mugs of hot chocolate.

At one point, Anna somehow ended up asking Elsa to materialize a checkers board for them. The Knight took great pleasure in introducing Rapunzel and Thomas to the game. After all this time, there was still a certain amount of enjoyment to be found in humbling young Royals in a simple game.

It was the greatest night of Anna's life. And by the time the sun rose in Corona the next morning, a wedding date had already been set.

There was still so much to resolve. Anna had to meet with the trolls again, to thank them for all they had done. She needed to talk with Elsa about how to use her powers to improve the world- the Queen seemed content to limit her influence to Arendelle, and Anna was soon going to correct her.

The Queen of the Gods had told Anna much about what Elsa was capable of. Having kids of their own, granting virtual immortality to others by slowing their aging to a crawl, traveling to the Realm Beyond themselves one day…several long discussions lie ahead.

And, of course, they needed to devise a way to keep their checker games fair.

Yet the worst was behind them, and Anna was looking forward to an eternity with the woman she loved.


	96. Epilogue: Chapter 1

"Cass, I'll be fine," Rapunzel implored. "Go enjoy yourself for a few hours. Just because you've been assigned as my personal guard doesn't mean you aren't entitled to a life. Have a few drinks down in the city and meet a boy. Or girl, if that's what you prefer."

The black-haired swordsman scowled. "What I prefer is to keep you safe, Princess. Both of you," she added, nodding at the little girl bundled by Rapunzel's arm.

"We're in the safest building on the continent, on a floor out of reach of even the strongest archer," Rapunzel. And, the Princess noted silently, We're shielded by Elsa's magic and guarded by invisible wraiths. Which is somewhat creepy, but…

Cassandra's eyes were fixed on the doors to the balcony. "You're not out of her reach," the guard mumbled.

Immediately, the Princess's eyes hardened. "Cass, I appreciate your concern, but who I trust to let into my presence is my decision," she declared firmly. Frowning, she turned to the doors. "And go have fun, that's an order."

Leaving her guard behind, Rapunzel slipped through the doors to her favorite room in the Palace. The wide sweeping terrace overlooked the entire city, offering a magnificent view of the capital and the calm sea that surrounded it. Various sets of chairs and tables dotted the balcony, all sitting comfortably in the shade of the Castle's highest roof.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Rapunzel had been expecting only a single woman to be awaiting her. Instead, two of her closest friends were snuggling together on the outdoor sofa, each absorbed in the other's presence.

"Sorry," Elsa replied, unable to keep the grin off of her face as she ran her hand through her lover's white streak of hair. "You two deserve some time alone together." Reluctantly, the Queen of Arendelle untangled herself from her fiancé and rose to her feet.

Anna smiled, pulling Elsa down for a final kiss. "I'll signal you when I'm ready," she promised.

Elsa nodded, vanishing into the wind.

The secretly reinstated Knight turned to Rapunzel. "Sit down," she beckoned. "And let me hold Anna C for a moment, if you don't mind."

Perplexed, Rapunzel lowered herself to the sofa and handed off her daughter. "Anna C?" she asked incredulously.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how confusing it will be with two 'Annas' running around? Sure, we could go by 'Anna of Arendelle', and 'Anna of Corona', but that would be annoying. So she's Anna C, and I'm Anna A."

The Princess sighed. It had been Anna A's name first, and she supposed that saving the world did earn oneself a favor or two. "Fine, we'll give it a try."

Anna had been back for two days now, but this was the first time since her return that the two women had been alone together. It was at that moment that the inevitable awkwardness set in. There was so much to ask, and none of it was easy. 'What was it like to die? How are you handling dating a Goddess? Do you think I should take Elsa's offer?'

By the look in her eyes, it was clear that Anna felt it too.

Rapunzel shifted closer to her friend, grabbing her daughter's hand as she did so.

"I can count over a dozen nightmares I've had since waking up from the freezing. I don't think I'll ever forget watching the wave of ice rushing towards us," she began. "We woke up because of you. You're the only reason this- she gestured out to the bustling city far below them- isn't a frozen wasteland. My daughter was born because you had the courage to sacrifice everything for a chance to save us. I'll never forget that."

Anna smiled. "I couldn't have done it without you. It was your tear that brought me back." She paused, gazing out far into the distance. "Do you remember what you told me, that first day we spent together?"

It seemed like a lifetime ago, but Rapunzel did.

"I thought about that a lot, after the tear returned my memories and everything had gone so wrong. It helped push me through the worst of it… and drive that shard of ice through my heart. The fact that you trusted me, even after the Goddess told all of those lies…it means a lot."

The Princess smiled. "I'm so glad you're back. Things weren't right without you here. Elsa wasn't the only one devastated when you were gone. We need you."

"Not to save the world again, I hope?" Anna smirked. She fell back into the cushions with a contented sigh. "It's such a relief just to be needed for me. No one's counting on me to kill some monster or rescue a Queen. I was the most important person in the world, and now I'm only here to give advice to a Goddess."

The Princess's gaze, having been lazily following some ships in the harbor, snapped back into focus. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

Anna frowned. "I want to support Elsa. She's a good person who can be trusted with her power. But…maybe I can help her improve the world, give her a perspective that a Queen and Goddess wouldn't have."

A knock on the door meant the arrival of their lunch, and a glance at Anna's eyes made it clear that the future Queen Consort of Arendelle was glad for the interruption. Repressing a sigh, Rapunzel internally decided to drop the matter for the moment. Today was about Anna herself, not the Knight's wider plans for the world.

The Princess took Anna C. back into her lap as Anna began to sample the plate of sandwiches. "Elsa told me a bit more about how her new powers worked," Rapunzel revealed. "Is it strange being with someone who isn't, well…human any longer?"

Anna A. shook her head. "Elsa still is human. That part of her hasn't gone away. Yeah, she's a Goddess now too, but that just lets her keep everyone safe. Honestly, it's actually a big relief," she admitted, sinking back down into the sofa. "Ever since that first assassination attempt…I was worried sick about her for two years. Now she can protect both of us from absolutely anything."

"And she can also read your mind, or teleport you to the moon if you annoy her," Rapunzel pointed out.

Anna shrugged. "So? She could always have had me executed at any time she wanted. Now it'd just be a little quicker. You're not saying you don't trust her?" she asked, her tone becoming accusatory.

"Of course not!" Rapunzel protested. The Princess knew that her cousin, even before Anna's return, could be trusted with her divine power. "I'm only making sure you're comfortable with everything. After all that happened…I just hope you're alright."

The anger fading from her face, Anna scooted over and snatched up another sandwich. "I'm fine," the Knight said firmly.

Rapunzel shot her friend a single, knowing look.

Anna sighed. "Yes, there are some things I'm having a hard time dealing with, but my fiancé becoming divine isn't one of them. I mean, thank the gods she did!" the Princess continued, her hands growing animated. "What else could protect me from an entire country that wants me dead? Or reminds me that it was all worth it when I remember the friends who died in the snow to keep me alive? Who-"

The Knight broke off as Rapunzel enveloped her in a one-armed hug. For nearly a minute, Anna C. sat contently in her mother's lap as the two friends embraced.

"I think it's incredibly brave of you," the Princess began, pulling back slightly. "Making sure Elsa is keeping quiet about what really happened, I mean. A lot of people would say that you've given the world enough."

Anna shook her head. "I'm not having the world live in fear of Elsa just to improve my reputation."

"And you're right to do it," Rapunzel agreed. Unable to resist, she pulled Anna into another embrace. "I'm just…you have no idea how happy I am that you decided to try to rob Elsa that night two years ago."

At this, the Knight laughed. "I didn't know it was the Queen!" she protested. "And…for the record, I'm really glad that Eugene rescued you from that tower."

Rapunzel playfully pushed away. "Rescued me?" she demanded incredulously. "Well…maybe. But if he had just told me about the tiara, I wouldn't have needed rescuing!"

The two women laughed, before allowing the sound to fade away into a comfortable silence.

There was more to talk about, Anna's plans and Elsa's offer to the Coronan Royals being chief among them. But for the moment, Rapunzel was happy to sit in the sun with the future Queen Consort of Arendelle, basking in the fact that their nightmares were finally over.

**Author's Note:**

> AN: This story is inspired by In the Service in the Queen, probably my favorite Elsanna fic of them all. The initial premise of my story will be similar to that of In the Service in the Queen, but it won't be long before the plot-lines diverge widely.
> 
> In this story, Elsa never had a sister, and thus never experienced the accident that led her to fear her powers. She embraced them throughout her childhood and learned to control them.
> 
> Also, yes, the fact that Anna can climb is a huge change from canon. Aside from that, however, she's as adorably careless as ever.
> 
> Disclaimer: Frozen is owned by Disney, not me.


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